“Legitimate military targets”: Russia escalates rhetoric regarding foreign troops in Ukraine
8 January 17:08
Russia will consider the deployment of foreign military units and military facilities in Ukraine as “foreign intervention that poses a direct threat” to its security, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. “Such units and facilities will be considered legitimate military targets” by the Russian army, she said on Thursday, January 8, according to "Komersant Ukrainian", citing Russian propaganda media.
Zakharova referred to the signing by the countries of the “coalition of the determined” on January 6 in Paris of a declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as a trilateral document on the deployment of French and British troops and military facilities in Ukraine after the end of the war.
France and the UK intend 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 said that with the start of the ceasefire, the UK and France will create “military centers” throughout Ukraine and “build secure facilities for storing weapons and military equipment.”
According to The Times, the UK and France plan to send up to 15,000 troops to Ukraine as a security guarantee after the conclusion of a peace agreement with Russia, and Germany is ready to deploy forces near Ukraine. The publication notes that the estimated size of the contingent is “significantly smaller than expected.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the agreement with France and the UK “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 of them will make.
