Russian president’s threat follows French proposal for postwar support for Kyiv that would include presence of Nato countries’ forces
Vladimir Putin has said any western troops placed in Ukraine would be “legitimate targets” for Russian strikes, upping the stakes as Kyiv’s allies scramble to come up with a convincing offer of postwar support to Ukraine.
Speaking a day after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced still-vague plans for a package of support for Ukraine backed by 26 nations, Putin on Friday said any guarantees that involved boots on the ground would violate Moscow’s longstanding objections to Nato troops in Ukraine.
“Therefore, if some troops appear there, especially now, during military operations, we proceed from the fact that these will be legitimate targets for destruction,” Putin told an economic forum in Vladivostok.
While there is little sign that Donald Trump’s efforts to forge a peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine conflict are any closer to success, European leaders have been trying to draw up security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a future deal.
