Putin says Western troops would be ‘legitimate targets’ if they are in Ukraine

(CNN) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that any Western troops in Ukraine would be considered “legitimate targets for defeat,” a day after it was announced that dozens of Western countries have pledged to contribute to a potential peacekeeping force there if a ceasefire deal is agreed.

“This is one of the root causes (of the war): trying to involve Ukraine in NATO,” Putin said, speaking at an economic forum in Russia’s Far East on Friday. “So if any troops appear there, especially during the ongoing hostilities, we assume they will be legitimate targets for defeat.”

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 26 countries are “backing security guarantees” for his country “in different formats.”

“We have agreed there will be presence,” he said, adding that