Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected Western proposals for a "reassurance force" in Ukraine the day after any ceasefire comes into place, following a Paris summit aimed at finalising plans for security guarantees. French President Emmanuel Macron said 26 of Ukraine's allies had formally committed to deploying troops "by land, sea or air" to help provide security the moment fighting was brought to a halt. Putin sought to quash the allies' initiative, with a warning that any troops deployed to Ukraine would be "legitimate targets", especially if they appeared now, even though there are no plans for an immediate deployment. "If any troops appear there, especially now, during the fighting, we assume that they will be legitimate targets for destruction," Putin emphasised in his keynote speech at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Friday. "And if decisions are reached that will lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply see no point in their presence on Ukrainian territory." "If these agreements are reached, no one doubts that Russia will implement them in full." Putin's comments came after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, accompanied by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, shared on Thursday that 26 European states, part of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, were prepared to offer security guarantees to Ukraine in a post-war capacity following any potential peace settlement. Ukraine's European partners have not suggested sending combat troops to Ukraine during the ongoing war, but instead deploying a type of international peacekeepers only after a possible ceasefire or a peace deal. These forces would not engage in fighting but would only be tasked with monitoring and maintaining peace after the agreement is reached. The Russian president voiced doubts about this possibility, though, saying it will be "practically impossible" to reach an agreement on key issues with Ukraine to end the Kremlin's full-scale invasion, currently in its fourth year. Putin also said that Russia wants to get security guarantees as well, without specifying what these measures could be and how they would protect Russia in its all-out war against Ukraine. "Peace guarantees must be for both, Russia and Ukraine," stressed Putin. Putin reiterated Moscow's resolute rejection of Ukrainian membership in the NATO defence alliance. At the same time, the Kremlin is not opposed to Ukraine's desire to join the European Union, according to him. He claimed that "Ukraine's decision on NATO cannot be considered without looking at Russia's (security) interests", but Kyiv's EU aspirations are a "legitimate choice". "I repeat, (Ukraine's EU bid) is Ukraine's legitimate choice, how to build its international relations, how to ensure its interests in the economic sphere, with whom to enter into alliances." What the members of the so-called Coalition of the Willing were prepared to deploy was a "reassurance force" for Ukraine, according to Macron. The French president and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted that this initiative would require the backing of the United States. Macron further asserted that Europe is prepared to follow through on those guarantees to ensure Ukraine's peace and stability, and threatened further economic sanctions on Moscow in a bid to ramp up pressure and force them to the negotiating table. US President Donald Trump did not comment on the European proposal, but stated that he plans to hold more talks with Putin soon. Trump made the remark as he hosted US tech titans at the White House for dinner on Thursday, adding that he has a "very good dialogue" with the Russian leader and expressing hope that the US-led peace efforts will soon yield progress. — Agencies
