Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Friday that any Western troops sent to Ukraine would be treated as “legitimate targets” for his forces.

The warning came a day after dozens of Kyiv’s allies discussed plans for a post-war “reassurance” force.

On Thursday, 35 countries in the Coalition of the Willing met online and in person in Paris.

President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron said afterward that 26 of them had agreed to contribute to Ukraine’s security guarantees in some form, possibly including troop deployments. They did not name which countries had made commitments.

Putin said the presence of foreign troops would not help efforts to reach a settlement.

“If some troops appear there, especially now during the fighting, we proceed from the premise that they will be legitimate targets,” he said at an economic forum in Vladivostok.

Ukraine insists that Western-backed security guarantees are essential to prevent Russia from resuming its offensive once a peace deal is reached. But several European leaders have already ruled out sending soldiers.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Italy would not deploy troops, though she signaled openness to supporting a ceasefire through monitoring and training missions outside Ukraine.

She also endorsed a mutual defense clause modeled on NATO’s Article 5 as a “key element” of post-war guarantees.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said Finland would not send its troops to the “war front,” but confirmed the country would contribute “in one way or another,” POLITICO reported.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed that deploying German troops is off the table for now, saying a ceasefire would be a prerequisite for any peacekeeping mission.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also ruled out putting Polish troops on Ukrainian soil, though he praised what he called the “solidarity, determination, and good cooperation” of Ukraine’s allies.

Putin argued there would be no need for such a force if a peace agreement is signed.

“If decisions are reached that will lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply don’t see the point in their presence on the territory of Ukraine,” he said.

“Because if deals are reached, let no one doubt that Russia will comply with them in full.”

Ukraine and the West have repeatedly accused Moscow of breaking past agreements, including during the years of fighting with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine between 2014 and 2022.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, and millions have been displaced from their homes.