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Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Western proposals for a “reassurance force” in Ukraine following any ceasefire, after a Paris summit focused on finalizing security guarantees.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated that 26 of Ukraine’s allies have formally committed to deploying troops “by land, sea, or air” to bolster security upon the cessation of hostilities.
Specific countries involved were not detailed by Macron.
Putin countered the initiative, warning that any troops deployed to Ukraine would be considered “legitimate targets,” particularly if deployed imminently, despite the lack of immediate deployment plans.
Prospects for a ceasefire appear dim after last month’s summit in Alaska between Putin and US President Donald Trump briefly raised hopes for a potential meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and a possible peace agreement.
Putin stated on Friday his readiness for contact with the Ukrainian leader, “but I do not see much point. Why? Because it is nearly impossible to reach agreement with the Ukrainian side on key issues.”
Trump subsequently posted on social media that it “looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China,” accompanying the statement with an image of the three countries’ leaders at a summit in Tianjin on Tuesday.
Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, commended Trump’s “very constructive efforts” in seeking a resolution, while criticizing “the outrageous efforts of European countries to provoke continuation of the war.”
Since the Alaska meeting, the “Coalition of the Willing,” spearheaded by the UK and France, has been intensely working on providing security guarantees to Kyiv should an agreement be reached. These guarantees would encompass bolstering Ukraine’s military capabilities and deploying a “reassurance force” to oversee any agreement.
Macron emphasized that any troop deployments would be aimed at preventing “any new major aggression” and would not involve front-line engagement. The force “does not have the will or the objective of waging war against Russia,” he affirmed.
Zelensky characterized the decisions made at Thursday’s Paris meeting as the first concrete step and indicated on Friday that thousands of foreign troops would be deployed, while noting that it was premature to discuss specifics.
The US has not provided detailed information regarding its involvement. The French president indicated that details would be finalized in the coming days.
Trump recently suggested that US support could “probably” take the form of air support. While he made no immediate comment following the Paris summit, Zelensky said he had spoken to the US leader about “maximum protection for Ukraine’s skies.”
Trump stated he was “having a very good dialogue” with Putin and planned to speak with him in the near future. Putin confirmed on Friday that he had “an open dialogue” with the American president.
Kyiv maintains that a ceasefire should be agreed upon in Ukraine before any attempt to secure a broader peace deal, a point of contention with Russia.
Answering questions at an economic forum in Vladivostok, Putin argued that “if decisions are reached that will lead… to long-term peace, then I simply don’t see the point in [foreign troops’] presence [in Ukraine].” He added that Russia would comply with any decisions leading to long-term peace “in full.”
Ukraine and its Western allies are unlikely to find his words convincing.
Putin also reiterated his readiness to host a summit with Ukraine in Moscow and offered to provide security.
When the BBC’s Steve Rosenberg suggested to Putin’s spokesman that the proposal indicated Russia’s interest in Ukraine’s capitulation rather than a peace deal, Peskov replied, “Not at all, not at all. He’s invited to Moscow to talk, not to capitulate.”
Zelensky has already dismissed Moscow’s proposal as evidence that Putin is not serious. Several neutral capital cities have been suggested as alternatives, but Putin has complained of “excessive demands.”
“We support any format, bilateral meeting, trilateral meeting, I believe that Russia does everything to defer it,” Zelensky stated.
Western leaders also believe that Russia is attempting to prolong the conflict to seize additional Ukrainian territory as its 42-month full-scale war continues.
Putin, who spent Wednesday with China’s Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, asserts that his country’s military is advancing on all fronts in Ukraine.
In addition to stating that no Western forces should be deployed to Ukraine, Moscow has insisted that it should be among the countries acting as “guarantors” of Ukrainian security – an idea rejected by Kyiv and its allies.
Putin’s spokesman told the BBC that any foreign forces, whether belonging to Nato or otherwise, would pose a danger to Russia “because we are an enemy of Nato.”
Nato chief Mark Rutte said on Thursday that Russia had no veto on Western troops being deployed to Ukraine: “Why are we interested in what Russia thinks about troops in Ukraine? It’s a sovereign country. It’s not for them to decide.”
Few countries have openly committed to deploying troops on the ground in Ukraine in the event of a deal, and the US has already ruled out such a move. European diplomats have suggested that committing troops at this point would likely reinforce Putin’s narrative against the West.
However, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Western allies now had an “unbreakable pledge” to Ukraine, backed by the US, and had to press Russia to end the war, according to a Downing Street spokeswoman.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said following the meeting that the first priority was to secure a ceasefire at a summit involving Zelensky, and then provide “strong security guarantees.”
More than three-and-a-half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin said this week there was “a certain light at the end of the tunnel” and that “there are options for ensuring Ukraine’s security in the event the conflict ends.”
But he appeared to cast doubt on Friday on the likelihood of any deal being reached, citing Ukraine’s requirement to have any change to its territories confirmed by a referendum and lifting of martial law.
Russia has illegally annexed five Ukrainian territories, but only has full control of one of them, Crimea.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey has praised Trump, who he says “brought Putin into talks” and “not closed off any options.”
Russia has rejected the idea of an initial ceasefire, insisting its campaign will not end before a full peace deal.
A source at the Élysée Palace suggested ahead of Thursday’s talks that there were several historical examples of ceasefires that had lasted without a full peace agreement.
The source pointed to the demarcation line between North and South Korea, where a ceasefire had lasted for years with a powerfully armed, allied American deployment serving as a signal to North Korea.
That concept was extremely important for the Ukrainians, the source added.
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The Russian leader has rejected calls for a ceasefire as his troops advance.
The two leaders discussed how organ transplants could help people live to 150-years-old.
The Chinese and Russian leaders have been in power for 13 and 25 years respectively, with neither expressing any intention of stepping down.
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