Moscow says any Nato peacekeepers would be considered legitimate targets; US embassy and Kyiv flag ‘potentially significant air attack’. What we know on day 1,416
Russia has called a plan for European troops to be deployed to Ukraine “dangerous”, dousing hopes for a speedy end to the near four-year war. European leaders and US envoys announced this week that postwar guarantees for Ukraine would include a US-led monitoring mechanism and a European multinational force to be deployed once the fighting stops. But Moscow has repeatedly warned it would not accept any Nato members sending such troops to Ukraine. “All such units and facilities will be considered legitimate military targets for the Russian armed forces,” Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said on Thursday, repeating a threat previously made by Vladimir Putin. Describing the plan as “dangerous” and “destructive”, she accused Kyiv’s allies of forming an “axis of war”.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz said a ceasefire in Ukraine was still “quite far” away given Russia’s position. “The order must be: first a ceasefire, then security guarantees for Ukraine for a long-term agreement with Russia,” Merz told reporters on Thursday. “All of this is impossible without Russia’s consent, which we are probably still quite far from.”
