Moscow has delivered a blunt warning that any foreign soldiers entering Ukraine will be treated as military targets. The message came directly from Vladimir Putin during a Kremlin meeting with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two envoys dispatched by President Donald Trump.
Russia has long objected to outside military involvement in Ukraine. Now that stance has hardened into an explicit threat. According to TASS, Putin told the American representatives that foreign troops on Ukrainian soil would become “a legitimate target,” effectively drawing a red line ahead of any negotiated settlement.
Meanwhile, European leaders gathered for the European Political Community summit determined to secure their own seat at the peace table. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pushed back against any format that sidelines European powers. He pointed to the existing E3 framework involving Germany, the United Kingdom, and France, though he acknowledged that Italy and Poland now participate as well. “The important thing is that Russia sits down at the table and is willing to engage in dialogue,” Merz said. He noted positive signals from recent talks in Abu Dhabi and stressed that achieving genuine peace requires working alongside the Americans.
European Council President Antonio Costa struck a similarly firm tone in his opening address. Europe’s security, he insisted, cannot be discussed without European voices present. Costa outlined several non-negotiable principles: Ukraine must choose its own allies and future, the era of spheres of influence has ended, and all European nations share an inseparable security link with Kyiv.
Costa also warned against rebuilding Europe’s security architecture from scratch. The framework established by the 1975 Helsinki Final Act remains relevant, he argued, citing sovereign equality, territorial integrity, and peaceful dispute resolution as foundational principles Russia’s invasion destroyed. Any future discussion, Costa concluded, must account for that destruction and build on what Europe already established together half a century ago.
