Russia’s Putin threatens to target any Western troops in Ukraine
Russian leader’s warning follows a pledge by dozens of Kyiv’s allies to form a ‘reassurance’ force for a future peace deal
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday that any Western forces deployed to Ukraine would be a “legitimate” target for Moscow’s army, a day after Kyiv’s allies said they had committed to a troop presence in the event of a peace deal.
Tens of thousands have been killed in three-and-a-half years of fighting, which has forced millions from their homes and destroyed much of eastern and southern Ukraine in Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.
Kyiv says security guarantees, backed by Western troops, are crucial to any agreement, in order to ensure Russia does not relaunch its offensive in the future.
“If some troops appear there, especially now during the fighting, we proceed from the premise that they will be legitimate targets,” Putin said at an economic forum in the far eastern city of Vladivostok.