Russia has dismissed a peace agreement involving Ukraine and labeled British soldiers as legitimate military targets, raising concerns about a potential major air strike on Kyiv. The Kremlin has rejected a recent US-European proposal to offer security guarantees to Ukraine upon reaching a ceasefire, denouncing it as foreign intervention and a direct threat to Russian security.
Following the signing of a new plan by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron to establish military ‘hubs’ in Ukraine to safeguard against future invasions, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Britain and its allies of further militarizing Ukraine. She cautioned that Western military presence and infrastructure in Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets for Russian forces.
Zakharova warned that the deployment of foreign military units and facilities in Ukraine would be viewed as a threat to Russia and other European nations, emphasizing that such assets would be targeted by the Russian Armed Forces. She criticized the 35-nation Coalition of the Willing as creating a dangerous war axis, detrimental to Europe’s future.
She insisted that any resolution to the conflict in Ukraine must entail the country adopting a neutral stance, relinquishing NATO aspirations, and returning occupied territories. The US Embassy in Kyiv issued an alert to its citizens about potential large-scale aerial attacks on the Ukrainian capital in the coming days, advising them to seek shelter promptly upon hearing air raid sirens.