Putin Warns US Envoys: Foreign Troops in Ukraine Will Be 'Legitimate Targets'

MOSCOW: Peace efforts over the war in Ukraine hit fresh friction on Thursday as Russian President Vladimir Putin warned US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow that deploying foreign troops in Ukraine would be "legitimate targets", hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that renewed speed caps on the US Starshield network are leaving Ukrainian cities vulnerable to Russian drone strikes.

  The Kremlin meeting, also attended by Russian presidential aides Vladimir Medinsky and Yury Ushakov alongside investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, follows two days of trilateral negotiations among Russia, Ukraine, and the United States in Abu Dhabi, according to Russia Today (RT). Outlining Moscow's conditions for a broader settlement before the talks moved behind closed doors, Putin stated he wants peace in Ukraine to last forever. However, RT reported that he emphasised Russia recognises only the national border as the sole dividing line with Ukraine, acknowledged Ukrainian discussions regarding "grey zones," and flatly rejected the deployment of foreign military personnel. (ANI)