Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Western proposals to deploy a “reassurance force” to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, warning that any foreign troops on Ukrainian soil would be treated as legitimate targets.
The warning came just a day after a high-level Paris summit, where French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 26 of Ukraine’s allies had formally committed to supporting Kyiv with land, sea, or air forces once fighting stops.
Macron described the pledge as the first concrete step toward providing Ukraine with long-term security guarantees, though he did not name the countries involved.
Putin moved quickly to undermine the plan, making clear that Russia would view such deployments as direct threats. “Especially if they appear now,” he cautioned, even though no immediate deployment has been announced.
Hopes for peace remain dim despite last month’s Alaska summit between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, which briefly raised the prospect of a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On Friday, Putin said he remained open to contact with Zelensky but doubted its usefulness:
“I do not see much point. It is nearly impossible to reach agreement with the Ukrainian side on key issues.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised Trump’s “constructive efforts” to mediate, while accusing European nations of making “outrageous efforts to provoke continuation of the war.”
The so-called Coalition of the Willing, spearheaded by the UK and France, has been developing the framework for security guarantees. Plans reportedly include bolstering Ukraine’s military and deploying international troops to monitor compliance with any ceasefire agreement. Macron emphasized that the force would not be placed on the front lines, insisting:
“It does not have the will or the objective of waging war against Russia, but to prevent any new major aggression.”
While Ukraine hailed the Paris commitments as a breakthrough, Washington has yet to clarify the scope of U.S. involvement. Trump has hinted that American support would “probably” come in the form of air cover, while Zelensky confirmed he had discussed “maximum protection for Ukraine’s skies” with the U.S. president.
Both leaders signaled ongoing engagement: Trump said he was maintaining a “very good dialogue” with Putin, and Putin confirmed he planned to speak directly with his American counterpart soon.
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