ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said that any Western military forces deployed in Ukraine to maintain peace if Moscow and Kyiv reach a ceasefire would be “legitimate targets” for the Russian military.

"If some troops appear there [in Ukraine], especially now during the fighting, we proceed from the premise that they will be legitimate targets,” Putin said while speaking at an economic forum in Russia’s Vladivostok.

“If decisions are reached that will lead to peace, to long-term peace, then there is no point in the presence of foreign troops on the territory of Ukraine,” the Russian leader added, asserting that Ukraine’s military ties with NATO member states are one of the “root causes” of the conflict that began when Moscow launched a military invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

Putin’s comments come amid growing European resolve to deploy a peacekeeping force to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in late August saying that there exist “pretty precise plans” regarding the possible deployment.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday asserted that 26 countries have pledged to send military forces under the initiative to “prevent any new major aggression.”

The 26 nations are overwhelmingly European, with the addition of Canada, Australia, and Japan.

Despite US statements indicating that it will not deploy forces to Ukraine, Macron said that there is “no doubt" that Washington will play a pivotal role in establishing security guarantees for Kyiv, adding that the US role will be finalized “in the coming days.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed the commitment by European allies, saying on Friday that "thousands" of European troops will be deployed on Ukrainian soil, though caveating that “it is still a little too early to talk about it."

Moscow has long held the line that Ukraine’s relationship with NATO and desire to join the alliance represent a drastic security threat for Russia.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Friday affirmed Russia’s rejection of any Western reassurance force for Kyiv, saying that “foreign, especially European and American” forces cannot offer any security guarantees to Ukraine.