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Soldiers

Putin Warns of 'Legitimate Targets' in Ukraine Ahead of Peace Deal

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine before a peace agreement has been signed would be considered "legitimate targets" by Moscow's forces. This statement comes as European leaders reaffirm their commitment to a potential peacekeeping force. Putin's comments were made during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, where he also dismissed the idea of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine after a final peace deal, stating that Moscow would comply with a treaty to halt its three-and-a-half year full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

Putin's remarks follow French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement that 26 of Ukraine's allies have pledged to deploy troops as a "reassurance force" for Ukraine once fighting ends. In a meeting of the coalition of the willing, a group of 35 countries that support Ukraine, Macron stated that 26 countries had committed to deploying troops to Ukraine to guarantee its security after a ceasefire or peace is achieved.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the importance of security guarantees starting to work during the war, rather than only after it ends. This comes as Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, amidst Moscow's repeated descriptions of Nato troops in Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force as "unacceptable".

Key Takeaways:

  • Putin has stated that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine before a peace agreement has been signed would be considered "legitimate targets" by Moscow's forces.
  • 26 countries have pledged to deploy troops as a "reassurance force" for Ukraine once fighting ends, as stated by French President Emmanuel Macron.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the importance of security guarantees starting to work during the war, rather than only after it ends.
  • Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, almost eight years after Moscow illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
  • Moscow has repeatedly described the presence of Nato troops in Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force as "unacceptable".
  • Russian troops attacked Ukraine with 157 strike and decoy drones, as well as seven missiles of various types, overnight.
  • Air defences shot down or jammed 121 of the drones, with one attack damaging multiple residential buildings in Dnipro.

Statistics:

  • 157 strike and decoy drones and seven missiles were used in the overnight attack.
  • 121 drones were shot down or jammed by Ukrainian air defences.
  • 15 settlements in Ukraine's Chernihiv region lost electricity due to Russian drone attacks.
  • 92 Ukrainian drones were destroyed by Russian troops overnight.
  • Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Sources:

  • [Source 1: Press Association, "Putin warns of 'legitimate targets' in Ukraine ahead of peace deal"]
  • [Source 2: French President Emmanuel Macron's statement at the coalition of the willing meeting]
  • [Source 3: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's address at the Ambrosetti Forum]
  • [Source 4: Press Association, "Russia launches full-scale invasion of Ukraine"]
  • [Source 5: Ukrainian air force statement on drone attacks]
  • [Source 6: Russian Defence Ministry statement on drone destruction]

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