Peacekeeping Putin warns against Nato troops over the border

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 post-war support.

- Shaun Walker

Speaking a day after the French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced still-vague plans for a package of support for Kyiv, Putin yesterday said any guarantees that involved boots on the ground would violate Moscow's long-standing objections to Nato troops in Ukraine.

"Therefore... we proceed from the fact that these will be legitimate targets for destruction," Putin told an economic forum in Vladivostok.

While there is little sign that a peace agreement is any closer, European leaders have been trying to draw up security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a future deal.