The Russian President has responded strongly to reports that the UK and European allies could deploy a peacekeeping force to Ukraine.
The Russian leader has labelled potential European troops as ‘legitimate targets’ (Image: Getty)
Russia has issued a chilling threat to treat British troops should they be deployed in Ukraine branding them “legitimate military targets” in a dramatic escalation with the West. The Kremlin’s Foreign Ministry warned that any European military presence on Ukrainian soil would be seen as “foreign intervention” that poses a direct threat to Russian security.
The extraordinary threat comes just days after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a historic agreement in Paris pledging to establish military hubs in Ukraine if a ceasefire is reached. Britain and France are part of a “Coalition of the Willing” of 35 countries that met in the French capital on January 6 to hammer out security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia.
But Moscow has made clear it will not tolerate Western boots on the ground, even after hostilities end. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova issued the stark warning in an official statement, declaring that any Western military infrastructure in Ukraine would be considered fair game for Russian forces.
Russia has hit out. (Image: Joe Giddens/PA Wire)
She said: “The Russian Foreign Ministry warns that the deployment of military units and the setting-up of military facilities, storages and other Western infrastructure on Ukrainian territory will be qualified as foreign intervention that directly threatens the security of Russia and other European countries.
“All such units and facilities will be considered as legitimate military targets for the Russian Armed Forces. Warnings to this effect have been repeatedly made at the highest level and remain relevant.”
The threat would put British troops directly in the crosshairs of the Russian military if Sir Keir follows through on plans to deploy peacekeeping forces to Ukraine. Sir Keir has already committed Britain to establishing “military hubs across Ukraine” and building “protected facilities for weapons and military equipment” to deter future Russian aggression.
France has pledged to contribute its own troops to the multinational force, which would be backed by air, land and sea support from coalition members. The summit, attended by numerous heads of state and government including two US envoys, agreed to provide Ukraine with unprecedented security guarantees designed to prevent Russia from attacking again after any ceasefire.
Putin has escalted his threats. (Image: GETTY)
But Zakharova dismissed the entire initiative as warmongering, accusing Western leaders of pursuing “militarisation, escalation and further conflict aggravation” rather than a push for peace.
She claimed the declaration signed in Paris “turned out to be extremely far from a peace settlement” and represented the formation of a “true axis of war.”
The Foreign Ministry statement accused Britain of planning to “continue the militarisation of Ukraine” by deploying troops, establishing military bases and building weapons storage facilities on Ukrainian territory.
Zakharova said: “On January 6 in Paris, participants of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, led by the UK and France, signed a declaration titled Robust Security Guarantees for a Solid and Lasting Peace in Ukraine.
“The document turned out to be extremely far from a peace settlement. The declaration is not aimed at achieving a lasting peace and security but rather at continuing the militarisation, escalation and further conflict aggravation.
“Its core element is the deployment of ‘a multinational force’ on Ukrainian territory that the coalition will have to form to contribute to the ‘rebuilding’ of the Ukrainian armed forces and ‘support deterrence’ following the cessation of the hostilities.”
Russian troops could open fire. (Image: GETTY)
Moscow insisted that any peaceful resolution would require Ukraine to adopt neutral status, abandon NATO membership ambitions, and accept Russia’s annexation of occupied territories.
Zakharova warned: “We also reaffirm that a peaceful resolution of the conflict is solely possible through the elimination of its root causes, the re-establishment of Ukraine’s neutral non-aligned status, its demilitarisation and denazification.”
She concluded ominously: “All these goals will, undoubtedly, be achieved either by political and diplomatic means or in the course of the special military operation, in which the Russian Armed Forces are maintaining full initiative on the battlefield.”
The Russian statement accused Western politicians of pursuing “increasingly more dangerous and destructive” plans that European citizens would be forced to “pay for out of their own pockets.”
