RUSSIA – Russia has warned that presence of western troops in Ukraine will be considered as foreign intervention, posing a direct threat to security.

Reacting to the signing of a declaration at the latest summit of the “Coalition of the Willing” earlier this week, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement that the document seeks to continue the “militarization, escalation, and expansion” of the Russia-Ukraine war, which will enter its fifth year next month.

Zakharova warned that the deployment of Western troops, as well as military facilities and other infrastructure, in Ukraine “will be classified as foreign intervention, posing a direct threat to the security of not only Russia but also other European countries.”

“All such units and facilities will be considered legitimate combat targets of the Russian Armed Forces. These warnings have been repeatedly issued at the highest level and remain relevant,” she further said.

The spokesperson went on to reaffirm Russia’s position that the resolution of the ongoing conflict is possible “solely through addressing its root causes,” adding this will be achieved “either through political and diplomatic means.”

Zakharova’s statement came days after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a declaration of intent in Paris on the deployment of multinational forces to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal.

The declaration of intent was signed following the conclusion of a “Coalition of the Willing” summit in the French capital, which was also attended by an American delegation, composed of US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Security Guarantees Document

Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday announced that a bilateral document on security guarantees is “essentially ready” to be finalized at the highest level with US President Donald Trump following negotiations in France.

“The bilateral document on security guarantees for Ukraine is now essentially ready for finalization at the highest level with the President of the United States,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on Telegram.

Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainian chief negotiator Rustem Umerov reported on the outcome of the negotiations in France, highlighting that Kyiv is “successfully uniting” the efforts of European and American officials.

The talks discussed documents on recovery and economic development, as well as complex issues regarding the basic framework for ending the war, for which the Ukrainian side presented possible options for finalizing the document, according to the president.

“We understand that the American side will engage with Russia, and we expect feedback on whether the aggressor is genuinely willing to end the war,” he said.

“We are also informing our partners about the consequences of Russia’s strikes, which clearly don’t indicate that Moscow is reconsidering its priorities. In this context, it is necessary that pressure on Russia continues to increase at the same intensity as the work of our negotiating teams,” Zelenskyy added.

“The feasibility of future security guarantees must be proven by our partners’ ability to exert effective pressure on the aggressor at this very stage,” he said.