If foreign military personnel appear in Ukraine before the end of hostilities there, Moscow will consider them “legitimate targets.” Russian President Vladimir Putin made the statement at a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok on Friday, September 5.
“As for potential military contingents in Ukraine. This is one of the root causes (of the war launched by Russia against Ukraine) - drawing Ukraine into NATO. Therefore, if any troops appear there, especially now, during active hostilities, we proceed from the assumption that they will be legitimate targets,” the Interfax news agency quoted the Russian leader as saying.
At the same time, Putin noted that “if decisions are reached that lead to a long-term peace,” there would be no need, in his view, for foreign troops to be on Ukrainian territory. If peace agreements are reached, Moscow intends to implement them “in full,” he said. Russia would also respect “the security guarantees that, of course, must be worked out both for Russia and for Ukraine,” Putin promised.
As for a possible meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — previously flagged by US President Donald Trump and urged by European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz - Putin again proposed holding it in Moscow, calling the Russian capital “the best place” for such a summit. For his part, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stressed that he considers meeting with Putin in Russia unacceptable.
A day earlier, on September 4, Paris hosted a meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing,” a group of countries ready to continue supporting Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia. After the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron said 26 countries are ready to take part in a peacekeeping mission once the war ends.
Zelensky, in turn, announced that an agreement had been reached on a common framework of security guarantees for his country.
Moscow has no right to determine whether the presence of Western troops on Ukrainian territory would be acceptable in the event of a peace deal. Only Kyiv can make that decision, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the day before.
