“Therefore, if some troops appear there, especially now, during military operations, we proceed from the fact that these will be legitimate targets for destruction,” Putin said at an economic forum in Vladivostok, according to Reuters.

“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,” he added.

The warning from the Kremlin leader came a day after French President Emmanuel Macron revealed that 26 countries are ready to send their service members or contribute in other ways as part of a security guarantees plan for postwar Ukraine.

Italy, Poland and Germany are among Ukraine’s “security guarantors,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated Thursday, standing alongside Macron.

Russia has repeatedly shot down the idea of having a potential Western-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine. Putin rebuffed the idea of troops stationed in Ukraine after the two sides reach a potential peace deal, claiming Moscow would abide by the treaty to end the invasion, which has been ongoing since February 2022.

Ukraine is looking for support among Western allies to shield it from another potential invasion by Russia. The United Kingdom, France and Estonia have signaled willingness to send troops in.

President Donald Trump, who has pushed to end the three-and-a-half-year conflict in Eastern Europe, ruled out having U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine, but has signaled openness to providing some form of air support for Kyiv.

Trump and Zelensky talked about “maximum protection” for Ukraine’s skies during a call Thursday, according to Ukraine’s leader.

“We also spoke about maximum protection for Ukraine’s skies. Until peace comes, Ukrainians must not be at the mercy of constant Russian attacks,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on social media.

Trump has pushed to arrange a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, particularly after meeting separately with both leaders in-person last month.

The Russian leader again questioned the purpose of such a huddle Friday, claiming “it will be practically impossible to reach an agreement with the Ukrainian side on key issues.”

Earlier this week, Putin did offer to meet with Zelensky in Moscow. He added Friday that the Kremlin is prepared for a summit with the Ukrainian president in Russia’s capital, arguing he would outline “working conditions and security” during the sit-down.

“But if they tell us. ‘We want to meet with you, but you have to go somewhere else for this meeting’, it seems to me that these are simply excessive requests on us,” Putin said.

Meanwhile, Russia has continued with its aerial attacks on Ukraine, launching dozens of drones and seven missiles overnight, according to Ukraine’s air force.

Pentagon officials last week told Western European diplomats that Washington will no longer fund programs aimed at training and equipping the militaries of the bloc’s eastern member states, the outlet wrote on Thursday, citing anonymous officials.

Moscow has long insisted that it views eastward NATO expansion, and the military buildup of countries on Russia’s western border as a security threat.

The funding for the Pentagon program needs to be approved by the US Congress, but the White House has not applied for more money, according to FT. The availability of previously approved funds reportedly ends next September.

Western European diplomats were “startled” by Washington’s move, and worried whether their domestic funding could cope with the loss, the outlet wrote. “It’s causing a lot of concern and uncertainty,” the newspaper cited one diplomat as saying.

The cut corresponds with US President Donald Trump’s earlier executive action on realigning foreign aid with his ‘America First’ doctrine, the daily said, citing a White House official.

“This action has been coordinated with European countries in line with the executive order and the president’s long-standing emphasis on ensuring Europe takes more responsibility for its own defense,” the official reportedly stated.

Under pressure from Trump, European NATO states promised to increase military budgets to 5% of GDP earlier this year. EU governments have also announced large-scale military investments, citing an alleged threat posed by Russia.

Moscow has repeatedly brushed off assertions that it intends to attack the US-led military bloc.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has pointed to the military buildup and Western European leaders’ increasingly bellicose rhetoric, accusing them of steering towards a direct clash.

“They are once again trying to prepare Europe for war – not some hybrid war, but a real war against Russia,” he warned in July.