MOSCOW : The stark warning came during Putin’s address at an economic forum in Vladivostok on Thursday. “If any forces are deployed there, especially now while fighting is raging, we will proceed from the principle that they will be legitimate targets for the Russian military,” he declared.

The remarks followed a Paris summit where European allies of Ukraine vowed continued support across land, air, and sea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the pledges as “tangible” progress in bolstering Ukraine’s defenses after more than three years of war.

French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that the initiative was “not a war against Russia” but a means to deter further aggression, noting that security guarantees would come into effect once hostilities ended—through a ceasefire, truce, or peace treaty.

Putin, however, dismissed the need for Western guarantees, insisting that “no one should doubt that Russia will fully abide” by peace terms once agreed. He added, “If decisions are made to achieve peace, a lasting peace, I simply don’t see any point in their presence.”