Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed a “reassurance force” for Ukraine proposed by Western allies, just a day after a Paris summit sought to finalise plans for security guarantees.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated that 26 of Ukraine’s allies had formally committed to deploying troops “by land, sea or air” to provide security the moment a ceasefire comes into effect. He did not name any of the countries involved.
In response, Putin sought to quash the initiative, warning that any troops deployed to Ukraine would be considered “legitimate targets,” even though there are no immediate plans for a deployment.
The Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, echoed this, telling the BBC that foreign troops in Ukraine would be “considered a danger to Russia.”
Hope for an immediate ceasefire remains low, despite a summit last month in Alaska between Putin and US President Donald Trump that briefly raised the possibility of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On Friday, Putin said he was open to contact with the Ukrainian leader but saw “not much point” as it was “nearly impossible to reach agreement with the Ukrainian side on key issues.”
Trump, meanwhile, posted on social media that it “looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China,” alongside a photo of the three countries’ leaders at a recent summit. Peskov praised Trump’s “very constructive efforts” in seeking a solution, but criticised “the outrageous efforts of European countries to provoke continuation of the war.”
Following the Alaska meeting, the “Coalition of the Willing”—led by the UK and France—has been working on providing Kyiv with guarantees if a peace deal is reached. This would involve strengthening Ukraine’s military and providing the “reassurance force” to patrol any agreement. Macron stressed the troops would be deployed to prevent “any new major aggression,” not at the front line, adding that the force “does not have the will or the objective of waging war against Russia.”
Zelensky described the decisions made in Paris as the first concrete step, confirming that thousands of foreign troops would be deployed, though he said it was premature to discuss details. The US has not provided details of its involvement, which Macron said would be finalised in the coming days. Trump had previously indicated that US support could “probably” take the form of air support, and Zelensky said he had spoken to the US leader about “maximum protection for Ukraine’s skies.”
Trump confirmed on Friday he was “having a very good dialogue” with Putin and planned to speak with him again soon.
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