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. Russia has long opposed the presence of any Western troops in Ukraine. 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. “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.”This is a developing story and will be updated.

Source: CNN January 08, 2026 11:32 UTC