Russia stated on Wednesday that any multinational force Ukraine’s allies plan to deploy in the country following a peace agreement would be unacceptable to Moscow. The Kremlin declared it would view such a deployment as a threat and a legitimate military target.
Western allies from the pro-Ukrainian ‘coalition of the willing’ met this week in Paris and confirmed their intention to deploy such a force after hostilities cease. Its purpose is to provide Ukraine with security guarantees and assist in rebuilding its military. The allies also announced plans to conduct exercises in the coming months to demonstrate the readiness of the planned Multinational Forces for Ukraine (MNF-U) to fulfill their missions.
Statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry
Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told journalists that the deployment of any military contingents from the so-called ‘coalition of the willing’ countries in Ukraine is unacceptable to Russia.
“I repeat: this would effectively mean foreign military intervention and an escalation of threats to Russia’s security,” Zakharova emphasized.
She added that Russia “will consider such units as legitimate military targets.”
Source: The Straits Times
