• Russian Foreign Ministry warns Western troops would be classified as foreign intervention
• UK and France signed declaration to deploy forces after ceasefire
• Coalition of 35 countries agreed on multilayered defense guarantees for Ukraine

MOSCOW, RU (TDR) — Russia sharply rejected Western security guarantees for Ukraine on Thursday, warning that any foreign troops deployed on Ukrainian soil would be considered “legitimate military targets” as the conflict approaches its fourth year.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova issued the rebuke in response to commitments made at a Paris summit where Britain, France and other European allies pledged to establish a multinational peacekeeping force as part of any future ceasefire agreement.

“The Russian Foreign Ministry warns that the deployment of military units, military facilities, warehouses, and other infrastructure of Western countries on the territory of Ukraine will be classified as foreign intervention.”

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Zakharova characterized the agreement reached by Ukraine’s allies as a “new militaristic declaration” and said warnings about Western troops have “been voiced repeatedly at the highest level and remain relevant.”

Paris Summit Produces Security Framework

The warning followed Tuesday’s Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris, where representatives from 35 countries including 27 heads of state gathered to coordinate support for Ukraine. The meeting marked the first time United States envoys participated in the coalition talks.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a declaration of intent to deploy forces to Ukraine once a credible cessation of hostilities takes place. The two nations said they would establish military hubs across Ukraine and build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment.

“We can only get to a peace deal if Putin is ready to make compromises. For all Russia’s words, Putin is not showing that he’s ready for peace.”

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Starmer said at the Tuesday summit.

The coalition statement outlined multilayered international defense guarantees including participation in a proposed US-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism. Officials indicated this would likely involve drones, sensors and satellites rather than US troops on the ground.

US Backs Security Protocols

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, attended the Paris summit alongside NATO’s top commander in Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich.

Witkoff said Trump “strongly stands behind security protocols” and that the guarantees are designed to deter any future attacks and defend Ukraine if necessary.

“Those security protocols are meant to: a, deter any attacks, any further attacks in Ukraine; and b, if there are any attacks, they’re meant to defend, and they will do both.”

Kushner described the meeting as “a very, very, big milestone” while cautioning that significant work remains before any peace deal is finalized.

“This does not mean we will make peace, but peace would not be possible without the progress that we have made today.”

Ukraine Welcomes Progress

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that the agreement on security guarantees is “essentially ready for finalization at the highest level with the president of the United States” following further negotiations in France on Wednesday.

“It’s important that today the coalition has substantive documents. These are not just words. There is concrete content: a joint declaration by all the coalition countries and a trilateral declaration by France, Britain and Ukraine.”

Zelenskyy said at a Paris news conference.

The Ukrainian president noted that allies determined which countries would take leadership roles in ensuring security on land, in the air and at sea, as well as reconstruction efforts. He identified the territorial question — referring to Russian demands that Ukraine surrender the eastern Donbas region — as the most significant issue still requiring resolution.

Putin’s Longstanding Demands

Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently demanded that Ukraine abandon NATO ambitions, accept permanent neutrality and keep Western troops out of the country as conditions for ending the conflict.

According to sources familiar with Kremlin negotiations, Putin is demanding Ukraine give up all of the eastern Donbas region. In exchange, Moscow would freeze the front lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions and return small portions of captured territory in Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Russia has long opposed the presence of any Western military forces in Ukraine, viewing such deployments as a direct security threat. Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Coalition Plans Multinational Force

The Coalition of the Willing agreed to continue critical long-term military assistance and armament to Ukraine’s armed forces, which would remain the first line of defense and deterrence after any peace agreement.

The proposed security architecture includes a multinational force made up of willing nations to support rebuilding Ukraine’s military and provide deterrence. Coordinated military planning has been conducted to prepare reassurance measures in the air, at sea and on land.

Macron indicated France could deploy “several thousand” troops to Ukraine after a ceasefire. Germany expressed readiness to join peace efforts but stopped short of committing to troop deployments.

The coalition also agreed to establish a US-Ukraine-Coalition coordination cell in Paris to manage implementation of security guarantees.

Gap Between Positions Remains Wide

Moscow’s Thursday statement underscores the substantial gap between Russian demands and Western proposals. Russia has repeatedly said it will not accept the deployment of troops from NATO members to Ukraine as part of any peace deal.

Putin ruled out any deployment of troops from NATO countries on Ukrainian soil during previous statements. In June 2024, he outlined terms requiring Ukraine to withdraw from four partially occupied regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — that Russia claims as its territory.

The Atlantic Council warned that Putin’s insistence on Ukraine’s unilateral disarmament reveals intentions to resume the invasion once Russia has rearmed. Experts note that Putin appeared unfazed when Finland and Sweden joined NATO in response to the Ukraine invasion, suggesting NATO expansion is not his primary concern.

Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) raised concerns that the Justice Department has diverted FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence personnel to immigration enforcement, potentially compromising national security capabilities during peace negotiations.

Can Western security guarantees deter future Russian aggression in Ukraine, or will Moscow’s rejection of foreign peacekeepers doom diplomatic efforts to end the nearly four-year conflict?

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