Russian President Vladimir Putin said that any deployment of foreign military forces to Ukraine following a peace agreement would trigger an immediate resumption of the war.
During a meeting in the Kremlin with American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Putin characterized such foreign units as “legitimate targets” for the Russian military. The Russian leader claimed he is aware of discussions among European nations regarding the deployment of troops to Ukraine once a peace deal is finalized. “What does that mean?”
“Evropané si jsou toho vědomi. A co od nich slyšíme? Že jakmile bude podepsána mírová dohoda, okamžitě vyšlou vojáky na ukrajinské území,” said Vladimir Putin, President of Russia.
“Co to znamená? Už jsme o tom mluvili: z našeho pohledu budou legitimním cílem, což znamená, že válka okamžitě znovu začne,” added Vladimir Putin.
The Russian leader further said that the Kremlin views the presence of foreign troops as a direct threat to national security. A co slyšíme od Evropanů? According to the Russian president, this sequence of events would only serve to restart the conflict.
Kushner described those discussions as productive but complex, noting that territorial disputes are the primary obstacle to a resolution, according to Echo24.
At the start of the Kremlin meeting, Kushner said that the U.S. has begun consultations with European countries to establish a new security architecture for the continent, intended to include Russia and Ukraine and which would “ukončila současný konflikt i zabránila vzniku nového,” according to TASS.
Kushner further remarked, “Doufáme, že pokud se nám podaří je zapojit do tohoto mnohostranného formátu, budeme schopni tento konflikt úspěšně vyřešit.” While Putin indicated that Moscow remains open to dialogue with Europe, he blamed European nations for the current lack of diplomatic communication.
This initiative, led by France and Britain, involves a dozen countries. The Czech government did not join the initiative.
The mission aims to support the Ukrainian military and secure the country’s airspace after the war ends. These foreign forces are not intended to have primary combat roles.
Vladimir Medinskij, the head of the Russian negotiating team, stated this framework is intended to address the post-conflict environment, Echo24 reported. Following the meeting in the Kremlin, Witkoff and Kushner are scheduled to travel to Dublin for discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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