Putin says Russia would consider Western troops in Ukraine as ‘legitimate’ military targets

Russian President Vladimir Putin said any Western troops in Ukraine would be fair targets for Russian forces, a clear warning to NATO and the U.S. as debate continues over security guarantees for Kyiv.

Speaking in Vladivostok on Friday, Mr. Putin dismissed the idea of a permanent security force remaining in Ukraine after any peace agreement is reached and said sending troops there now would be dangerous.

“If some troops appear there, especially now, during military operations, we proceed from the fact that these will be legitimate targets for destruction,” Mr. Putin said. “And if decisions are reached that lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply do not see any sense in their presence on the territory of Ukraine, full stop.”

Russia’s anxiety over foreign troops in Ukraine was central to its justification for invading the country in 2022. Since then, Mr. Putin has insisted that any peace agreement would include guarantees against NATO’s further expansion east to include Ukraine.

Ukraine, for its part, has demanded that any robust peace agreement must include security guarantees to prevent further attacks from Russia.

Mr. Putin’s warning follows a meeting of 35 international leaders in Paris on Thursday, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying 26 nations pledged to provide postwar security guarantees to Ukraine. The agreement promises a coordinated air, sea and ground force from the coalition.

Not all of the countries agreed to send troops to Ukraine once a peace deal is finalized. Notably, Germany, Italy and Spain have not officially committed to sending ground forces. Berlin, in particular, is waiting until America’s decision is clarified.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the incoming force would be in the thousands.

The fate of the international peacekeeping force is dependent on a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv, which looks further away following President Trump’s Alaska summit with Mr. Putin. Mr. Zelenskyy was not present at the talks, and the meeting ended without a breakthrough.

Following the meeting, Mr. Trump said he hoped Mr. Zelenskyy and Mr. Putin could agree to meet and discuss a path to peace before more formal peace talks that would include the U.S.

On Friday, Mr. Putin was pessimistic that talks with Ukraine would yield results because both sides are so far apart in demands. Still, he said he’s prepared to meet with Ukrainian diplomats in Moscow and would provide adequate security.

While not directly rejecting the offer, Mr. Zelenskyy doubted that Mr. Putin was serious about peace talks.

“We are ready for any kind of meetings. But we don’t feel that Putin is ready to end this war,” he said. “He can speak, but it’s just words, and nobody trusts his words.”

When Mr. Trump met with Mr. Zelenskyy and other European leaders after the summit with Mr. Putin last month, he indicated that the U.S. would support Ukraine’s defensive efforts after a peace agreement. Mr. Trump has publicly ruled out putting U.S. boots on the ground in Ukraine, but reports suggest the U.S. may take the lead in monitoring a buffer zone in eastern Ukraine.