Vladimir Putin has said any western troops placed in Ukraine would be “legitimate targets” for Russian strikes, upping the stakes as Kyiv’s allies scramble to come up with a convincing offer of postwar support to Ukraine.
Speaking a day after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced still-vague plans for a package of support for Ukraine backed by 26 nations, Putin on Friday said any guarantees that involved boots on the ground would violate Moscow’s longstanding objections to Nato troops in Ukraine.
Add: See for more context this other news post
It’s pretty ironic that there is a big chance there would be no NATO troops in Ukraine if Putin didn’t attack Ukraine “because they might join NATO”. By doing what he did he got exactly what he tried not to get.