Putin says no need of foreign troops in Ukraine after peace agreement

MOSCOW

There will no longer be any need to deploy foreign troops in Ukraine once a peace agreement is signed, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.

Commenting on Thursday's meeting in Paris of the “coalition of the willing” — a group of countries providing military support to Ukraine and pledging troops after a ceasefire — at a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin said if foreign troops are deployed in Ukraine, they will be a legitimate target for the Russian military.

“Regarding possible military contingents in Ukraine. If they appear in Ukraine today, they will be a legitimate target for the Russian military,” he said. “If agreements are reached that lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply see no point in their presence on Ukrainian territory. That’s all. Because if these agreements are reached, no one doubts that Russia will fulfill them in full.”

"If such agreements are reached, Russia — let nobody doubt it — will fully implement them. We will respect those security guarantees which, of course, should be worked out for both Russia and Ukraine. And I repeat again, without any doubt, Russia will honor these agreements," emphasized Putin.

He said that if solutions are reached that lead to long-term peace, then there will be no sense in a Western military presence on Ukrainian territory. He added that, so far, no one has "seriously" discussed the issue of security guarantees with Russia.

Asked if he had a phone call with US President Donald Trump following the meeting of the "coalition of the willing" in Paris, Putin responded negatively, adding that the two have "an open dialogue" — an agreement to contact each other if necessary.

Meeting with Zelenskyy

Putin reiterated his invitation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet in Moscow, calling the Russian capital “the best place” for such an encounter.

“If someone genuinely wants to meet with us — we are ready. The best place for this is the capital of the Russian Federation, the hero city Moscow,” he said.

Putin said that not long ago, Kyiv ruled out the possibility of contacts with Russia, but is now requesting talks.

"Quite recently, the leadership of the Kyiv regime was speaking rather unfavorably about us, to put it mildly, and ruled out any possibility of direct contacts. Now we see that they are asking for these contacts or, at least, proposing them," he said.

Addressing potential security concerns of the Ukrainian delegation, Putin vowed to fully guarantee its safety.

“The Ukrainian side wants this meeting and is proposing this meeting. I said: ‘I am ready, please, come. We will absolutely ensure the conditions for work and security. The guarantee is one hundred percent,” he stressed.

At the same time, he described Ukraine’s demands to choose the meeting location as “excessive.”

"If someone tells us — we want to meet you, but you have to go somewhere else for this meeting, it seems to me that these are just excessive requests addressed to us," he said.