Russia and Europe are trading sharp words over Ukraine’s future security. Within 48 hours, both President Vladimir Putin and his longtime ally Dmitri Medvedev issued stark warnings. Putin declared that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine during hostilities would be considered “legitimate targets for destruction,” signaling a direct threat to Western involvement. Medvedev, Russia’s former president and now deputy chairman of the Security Council, went further, mocking European efforts to provide Kyiv with post-war security guarantees. He called the plan “utter nonsense and heresy” or simply “bullsh*t.” The remarks came after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 26 nations had committed to deploying troops in Ukraine. The allies have remained divided over the troop proposal: Germany is hesitant, Italy has ruled out troop deployment, and the U.S. under Donald Trump has yet to firmly endorse the plan.