Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that Moscow is "ready" to engage in peace talks with Ukraine and would guarantee the safety of Ukrainian representatives.
In a rare concession, Putin also acknowledged Ukraine's legitimate right to pursue membership in the European Union.
His comments followed a day after French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized that 26 nations had offered post-conflict security guarantees to Ukraine, including the possible deployment of an international force on land, at sea, and in the air.
Putin further warned that any Western troops dispatched to Ukraine would be a "legitimate" target for Russian forces, after the Ukrainian government announced that its Western allies had made preparations to send troops should a peace deal be signed.
"If some troops appear there, especially now during the fighting, we proceed from the premise that they will be legitimate targets," Putin said at an economic forum in the far east city of Vladivostok.
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