Putin Calls Foreign Military in Ukraine 'Legitimate Targets'

Kyiv, Sep 5 (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Friday that any foreign military presence in Ukraine prior to the establishment of a peace agreement would be treated as "legitimate targets" by Moscow's armed forces.

Putin's remarks came shortly after European leaders reiterated their commitment to a potential peacekeeping mission.

"If any troops appear there, especially now while fighting is ongoing, we assume that they will be legitimate targets," Putin stated during a panel at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, located in Russia's Far East.

He further dismissed the notion of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine following the conclusion of a peace deal, insisting that "no one should doubt" Moscow's adherence to any treaty aimed at terminating its 3½-year-long full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to Putin, security assurances would be essential for both nations, Russia and Ukraine.

His comments came after French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that 26 allies of Ukraine had committed to deploying troops as a "reassurance force" once hostilities cease.

Macron spoke after a Paris meeting of the so-called coalition of the willing, which consists of 35 countries that support Ukraine. He stated that 26 of these countries had pledged to deploy or maintain a presence on Ukrainian land, at sea, or in the air to ensure the nation's security following any ceasefire or peace agreement.

Russia initiated its comprehensive invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, nearly eight years after unlawfully annexing Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. Moscow has consistently labeled the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force as "unacceptable." (AP) SKS RD RD

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