Topics: Ukraine, Russia, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump
Vladimir Putin has issued a chilling warning to Western leaders after Donald Trump floated the idea of US air support in Ukraine.
The Russian president's response came after Trump rejected the idea of putting US boots on the ground in the conflict, but appeared more open to the possibility of providing air support.
French president Emmanuel Macron had previously said that 26 of Ukraine's international allies had committed to deploying troops "by land, sea, or air" as a guarantee of Ukraine's security after a ceasefire deal is agreed.
In the announcement, Macron clearly stressed that the purpose of this deployment would be to protect against 'any major new aggression', and that it would 'not have the will or the objective of waging war against Russia'.
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The two announcements were met with a frosty reply from Putin.
The Russian President said that Russia would consider any international troops deployed inside Ukraine to be a 'legitimate target'.
"If any troops appear there, especially now, during military operations, we proceed from the fact that these will be legitimate targets for their destruction," Putin said in a response to Macron's announcement.
"And if decisions are reached that lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply do not see any sense in their presence on the territory of Ukraine, full stop."
Russia has previously argued one reason for its invasion of Ukraine was to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO.
NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, was founded in 1949 and created a united western front against the Soviet Union.
If Russia were to attack a member of NATO then other members should consider that to also be an attack against them and respond accordingly.
Ukraine, which suffered brutal occupation under the Soviet Union in the Cold War and multiple Russian invasions since the USSR collapse, is currently recognised as an 'aspiring' member of NATO.
Unsurprisingly, Russia has fiercely opposed Ukrainian ambitions to join NATO.
Putin recently proposed peace talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy held in Moscow, which Zelenskyy declined.
The Russian president expressed a pessimistic view of ceasefire talks, saying: "I don't see much point in them … because it will be practically impossible to reach an agreement with the Ukrainian side on key issues: even if there is political will, which I doubt, there are legal and technical difficulties."
A key Russian demand of a ceasefire deal would be Ukraine giving up Crimea and other territories which have been occupied by the Russian army.
This is seen as unacceptable by Ukraine and its allies, who view it as rewarding Russian aggression with territorial gain.
