...
By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Russia rejected the Coalition of the Willing's plan to put Western peacekeeping troops into Ukraine once the war ends to deter future aggression by the Kremlin, saying those forces would be "legitimate military targets" for Moscow's forces.
Ukraine had hailed the plan as vital security guarantees for a peace agreement with Russia.
Two key members of the coalition, the United Kingdom and France, also NATO allies, signed a "declaration of intent" with Ukraine at the meeting in Paris on January 6 to deploy forces to Russia's neighbor once a ceasefire is in place.
Read More on World
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also participated in the coalition meeting and endorsed its outcome.
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in a statement Thursday morning that the "deployment on Ukrainian territory of military units, military facilities, warehouses, and other infrastructure of Western countries will be classified as foreign intervention posing a direct threat to the security not only of Russia, but also of other European countries."
"All such units and facilities will be regarded as legitimate military targets of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation," Zakharova said, originally in Russian. "These warnings have been voiced repeatedly at the highest level and remain relevant."
She added: "The new militaristic declarations of the so-called coalition of the willing and the Kyiv regime form, in their person, a genuine 'axis of war.'"
The Trump administration is trying to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, having initially invaded in 2014 to annex Crimea and occupy parts of the east.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that a peace deal is 90 percent done, but sharp disagreements over control of the eastern Donbas region and of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain blockers to an agreement.
...
Russia is demanding Ukraine hand over control of all of the Donbas, or else Moscow will take it by force, though analysts say it could take the Kremlin's forces years to achieve that goal, if at all.
But the future architecture of Ukraine's security guarantees is also a point of contention in the talks. Ukraine wants Western troops on the ground and a NATO Article 5-style backup to deter another Russian invasion in the future.
One of the Kremlin's goals in its invasion of Ukraine is to halt its moves toward NATO membership, saying it would pose an intolerable threat to Russia's security. It is demanding Ukrainian neutrality, and so says it will not accept troops from NATO members deployed to Ukraine, even during peacetime.
“We determined what countries are ready to take leadership in the elements of security guarantees on the ground, in the air, and at sea, and in restoration,” Zelensky said at a news conference in Paris.
“We determined what forces are needed. We determined, how these forces will be operated and at what levels of command.”
Witkoff said the U.S. “strongly stands behind” security guarantees. Kushner called the Paris meeting “a very, very, big milestone.”
“This does not mean we will make peace, but peace would not be possible without the progress that we have made today,” Kushner said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the security statement endorsed by Ukraine’s allies is a “significant step” toward ending Russia’s invasion. The coalition plans also envisage a Ukrainian army with 800,000 troops, he said.
A joint statement issued following the meeting said the allies also agreed to continue long-term military assistance and armament to Ukraine’s armed forces, which “will remain the first line of defense and deterrence” after any peace deal is signed.
The allies still must finalize “binding commitments” setting out what they will do to support Ukraine, the statement said.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
The news cycle is loud. Algorithms push us to extremes. In the middle—where facts, ideas and progress live—there's a void. At Newsweek, we fill it with fearless, fair and fiercely independent journalism.
Common ground isn't just possible—it's essential. Our readers reflect America's diversity, united by a desire for thoughtful, unbiased news. Independent ratings confirm our approach: NewsGuard gives us 100/100 for reliability, and AllSides places us firmly in the political center.
In a polarized era, the center is dismissed as bland. Ours is different: The Courageous Center—it's not "both sides," it's sharp, challenging and alive with ideas. We follow facts, not factions. If that sounds like the kind of journalism you want to see thrive, we need you.
When you become a Newsweek Member, you support a mission to keep the center strong and vibrant. Members enjoy:
Help keep the center courageous. Join today.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines