Key Points and Summary – Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a direct threat this week, warning that any Western troops sent to Ukraine would be considered “legitimate targets.”
-His comments are a direct response to a plan announced Thursday by a UK- and French-led coalition to send a post-war “reassurance” force to guard Ukraine’s borders.
-Ukrainian President Zelenskyy confirmed Friday that an agreement is in place for “thousands” of such troops. Putin’s threat dramatically escalates tensions over security guarantees, framing the plan as an unacceptable continuation of NATO expansion and complicating any potential peace deal.
Putin Threatens to Target NATO Troops In Ukraine
Having already ruled out the prospect of NATO peacekeeping troops being sent to Ukraine post-war, Russian President Vladimir Putin this week threatened to respond militarily if European leaders move forward with the plan.
The Russian president insisted that his troops would consider NATO troops “legitimate targets,” citing his longstanding opposition to the eastward expansion of the military alliance.
Speaking at an economic forum in Vladivostok, Russia, Putin said that Western plans to put troops in Ukraine as part of a “security guarantees” deal pose a threat to Russia, and that his forces would respond accordingly.
“If some troops appear there, especially now during the fighting, we proceed from the premise that they will be legitimate targets,” Putin said.
The Russian president noted that sending NATO troops to Ukraine would constitute a return to the “root causes” that caused the conflict to begin with: namely, the eastward expansion of NATO to Russia’s borders.
Putin Makes a Big Threat
His comments could be interpreted as a warning against sending troops before the end of the war, though in recent weeks he has repeatedly insisted that European troops being sent to Ukraine after the war would also be an unacceptable condition of a negotiated peace deal.
While European leaders remain adamant that peacekeeping troops must be allowed into Ukraine as part of a deal, U.S. President Donald Trump responded by floating the possibility of sending Chinese troops to Ukraine, instead.
Why Now?
Putin’s threat came in response to a Thursday pledge by two dozen countries, led by the United Kingdom and France, to contribute to a new “reassurance” force in Ukraine.
Under the proposal, signatory countries would send troops to Ukraine to guard its borders on land, at sea, and in the air – effectively guaranteeing a permanent military presence on Ukraine’s borders.
Such a deal would put NATO troops closer to Russia than before the war.
Speaking during a joint press conference with European Council President Antonio Costa, Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy said that while the deal was still in its early stages, it is expected to involve troops on the ground in Ukraine.
“It will definitely not be single digits, but in the thousands,” Zelenskyy said. “And that is a fact, but it is still a little too early to talk about it.”
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York who writes frequently for National Security Journal. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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