Foreign Troops in Ukraine - 'Legitimate Military Targets' - Russia 0 10

Russia will consider the deployment of foreign military units and military facilities in Ukraine as "foreign intervention posing a direct threat" to its security, said the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova. "Such units and facilities will be regarded as legitimate military targets" by the Russian army, she stated on Thursday, January 8.

Zakharova referred to the signing by the countries of the "coalition of the willing" on January 6 in Paris of a declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as a trilateral document regarding the deployment of French and British troops and military facilities in Ukraine after the end of the war.

France and the United Kingdom Plan to Send Thousands of Troops to Ukraine

Kyiv, Paris, and London signed a declaration of intent at a meeting in Paris, which, according to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, "creates a legal basis" for the deployment of British, French, and other "partner" troops in Ukraine after the ceasefire. The head of the British Cabinet also stated that the UK and France will establish "military centers" across Ukraine and "build secure facilities for storing weapons and military equipment" with the onset of the ceasefire.

According to The Times, the UK and France plan to send up to 15,000 military personnel to Ukraine as security guarantees after a peace agreement with Russia, while Germany is ready to deploy forces near Ukraine. The publication notes that the projected number of the contingent is "significantly lower than expected."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the agreement with France and the UK as "very specific." According to him, the Ukrainian side already has sufficient information and knows which countries will participate in the agreement and what contribution each will make.