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MOSCOW: Russia said on Thursday that any troops sent to Ukraine by Western govts would be “legitimate combat targets”, after Britain and France announced plans to deploy a multinational force there in the event of a ceasefire.A Russian foreign ministry statement said “militaristic declarations” by a coalition of pro-Ukraine Western govts were becoming increasingly dangerous. Russia was responding for the first time to a meeting of the “coalition of the willing” in Paris on Tuesday at which Britain and France signed a declaration of intent on the future deployment. French President Emmanuel Macron said it could involve sending thousands of French troops. British PM Keir Starmer said it paved the way for a legal framework whereby “British, French and partner forces could operate on Ukrainian soil, securing Ukraine’s skies and seas and regenerating Ukraine’s armed forces for the future”.Russia “warns the deployment of Western military units, military facilities, depots and other infrastructure on Ukrainian territory will be classified as foreign intervention, posing a direct threat to the security of not only Russia but also other European countries,” the statement from Moscow said. “All such units and facilities will be considered legitimate combat targets of Russian Armed Forces.” It added: “The fresh militaristic declarations of the so-called coalition of the willing and the Kyiv regime constitute a veritable ‘axis of war’… Plans of these participants are becoming increasingly destructive for the future of European continent and its inhabitants…”REUTERS
