Russia doubled down on its longstanding position of declaring Western forces in Ukraine “legitimate targets” on Thursday, days after France and the UK pledged to send troops there in the event of a peace deal.

“The Russian Foreign Ministry warns that the deployment of military units, military facilities, warehouses, and other infrastructure of Western countries on the territory of Ukraine will be classified as foreign intervention,” spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

She was responding to a “declaration of intent” signed by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday at the latest meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, where they agreed to deploy a multinational force to guarantee Ukraine’s security.

Russia has long opposed the presence of any Western troops in Ukraine. “These warnings have been voiced repeatedly at the highest level and remain relevant,” Zakharova said, characterizing the agreement reached by Ukraine’s allies as a “new militaristic declaration.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy has long insisted his Western allies provide robust security guarantees as part of any peace deal to deter a future Russian invasion.

The precise nature of the guarantees that Europe and the US are willing to offer has gradually taken shape following months of meetings. Tuesday’s agreement set out the legal framework for allowing British and French troops to operate in Ukraine, Starmer said, after the two countries had previously stated their willingness to deploy troops there.

Zelensky said Thursday that the agreement reached on security guarantees is now “essentially ready for finalization at the highest level with the president of the United States,” after further negotiations in France on Wednesday.

But, even if the US, Europe and Ukraine reach their own agreement, Moscow’s statement underlines just how far apart the two blocs remain in these negotiations.

Russia has only intensified its attacks in recent weeks, targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure to take out power with the winter cold at its most intense.

Authorities in Kyiv warned residents Thursday to stock up on water, batteries and warm clothing in anticipation of further attacks, as temperatures plunge as low as -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit).

“We can only get to a peace deal if Putin is ready to make compromises,” said Starmer on Tuesday. “For all Russia’s words, Putin is not showing that he’s ready for peace.” (CNN)

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