Vladimir Putin told reporters at a BRICS summit in India on Friday that any decision by European governments to send troops to Ukraine would amount to a war with Russia. The warning came as Russian air strikes continued to inflict heavy civilian casualties across the country.
Casualties rise as Russian attacks intensify
Local officials reported that Russian strikes killed five civilians and wounded dozens on Saturday. In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, two people were killed and one injured when drones hit a residential area, regional head Ivan Fedorov said.
In Kryvyi Rih, one person died and three were wounded by further strikes. The Black Sea port of Odesa and its surroundings saw 35 people wounded in what regional head Oleh Kiper described as a massive attack that destroyed the upper floors of a high-rise building.
Later that night, a Russian attack on a grocery store in the Zhytomyr region killed two more people.
Putin warns against European troops
Now they're talking about how they're considering sending troops into Ukraine. That means a war with Russia.
Speaking to journalists, Putin said that the prospect of a European peacekeeping force was "unacceptable" and would turn the conflict into a direct confrontation with Moscow.
He added that Russia does not pose a threat to Europe and has no intention of threatening European countries.
Polish prime minister warns of border provocations
Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland, said recent incidents along Ukraine's borders with Poland and Moldova could be a preview of intensified Russian provocations at European crossing points. Two people died when Russian drones hit the Starokozache crossing between Ukraine and Moldova, and a potential threat to a Polish-Ukrainian crossing was averted through cooperation between Warsaw and Kyiv.
Zelenskyy offers to meet Putin at G20
Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Deutsche Welle that he would be willing to meet Putin if both leaders were invited to the Group of Twenty summit in Miami this December. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Putin has offered to fly to Moscow for a meeting, though Kyiv has so far rejected the proposal.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia remains ready for negotiations, but stressed that the "special military operation" would continue during any talks.
What happens next?
The European Union is still debating the composition and mandate of a possible peacekeeping force, while Russian officials maintain that any such deployment would be seen as hostile. The coming weeks are likely to see diplomatic jockeying ahead of the G20 summit, with both sides weighing the risks of escalation against the prospect of dialogue.