Putin warns Western troops in Ukraine would be ‘legitimate targets’
Russian President Vladimir Putin is issuing a new warning to the West: Any troops sent to Ukraine would be “legitimate targets” for Russian attacks.
The warning comes after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that more than two dozen countries have pledged to provide security guarantees for Ukraine once the war ends. This includes a multinational force operating by land, air and sea.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said contributions also include assets in cyberspace and financing. He expressed his gratitude in a post on X early Friday.
Putin brushed those promises off, saying NATO has “no place” in Ukraine if a peace deal is reached. He has long argued that one of the reasons Russia went to war in Ukraine was to keep NATO from placing forces there.
“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,” Putin said.
However, he added if troops arrive now, in the middle of the war, Russia would consider them “legitimate targets for destruction.”
President Donald Trump, for his part, has repeatedly said there will be no U.S. boots on the ground.
Peace talks at an impasse
As for peace talks, Putin claims he’s willing to host Zelenskyy in Moscow, but nowhere else. Zelenskyy reiterated he’s ready to talk, but that a meeting in Moscow is a non-starter.
“We are ready for any kind of meetings. But we don’t feel that Putin is ready to end this war. He can speak but it’s just words, and nobody trusts his words,” Zelenskyy said.
Putin made a similar statement, saying, “It will be practically impossible to reach an agreement with the Ukrainian side on key issues”.
The refusal to meet in Moscow comes after President Trump met with both Putin and Zelenskyy. Following those individual meetings, Trump promised to set up a trilateral meeting. However, that has not been scheduled.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
