Putin: Western troops in Ukraine would be fair 'targets'

Markus Söder, leader of the CSU — the Bavarian sister-party to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) — has clearly rejected the idea of deploying German troops in Ukraine as part of security guarantees for Kyiv.

"I find it hard to imagine NATO troops being stationed there. Russia would never accept that. It would be a precursor to Ukraine joining NATO," Söder told the Rheinische Post newspaper.

He added that the German Armed Forces are not ready. 

"They are stretched to the limit, both financially and in terms of personnel. That is why conscription needs to be reintroduced," said Söder. 

His remarks come one day after Berlin stopped short of promising further military commitments to Ukraine following the hybrid "Coalition of the Willing" meeting in Paris.

The Bavarian premier also suggested sending Ukrainians fit for military service back to their country.

"Peace is not currently in sight. It is therefore legitimate to consider sending Ukrainians who are fit for military service back to their homeland to ensure security in their own country," said Söder.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico that he should stop importing oil from Russia due to the country's war in Ukraine.

"Russian oil, like Russian gas, has no future," Zelenskyy said in a joint press conference with Fico, after the two met in the western Ukrainian city of Uzhgorod. 

The Slovak leader, on his part, admitted he and Zelenskyy had "different opinions" on how the war could end, while also adding he could foresee the normalization of relations with Moscow.

"We are simply saying in advance what the possibilities are, where we will start talking again, what tasks we will do together," he said, days after attending a Chinese military parade alongside Russia's Vladimir Putin.

Russia has never officially opposed EU membership for Ukraine, something Vladimir Putin reiterated while visiting China.

"As for Ukraine's membership of the EU, we have never objected to this," Putin said while visiting China. "As for NATO, this is another issue."

Many observers see Putin's comment as disingenuous, aimed at appeasing US President Donald Trump.

DW explores the topic in this article.

Russia's latest battlefield tactic in Ukraine relies on infiltration: Small soldier units, often on bikes or on foot, are advancing through gaps in Ukraine's defenses. Drones guide the fighters and gather intelligence.

Large tank convoys are rare now and being replaced by stealthy night operations, experts say. The tactic is proving effective where Ukrainian drone surveillance of the frontline is weak.

Should a peace deal come to pass between Russia and Ukraine, the United States is considering taking a lead role in monitoring a buffer zone, US broadcaster NBC reported, citing four sources familiar with the matter.

According to NBC sources, the buffer would be a large demilitarized zone within Ukraine that could be additionally secured by troops from one or more non-NATO countries, such as Saudi Arabia or Bangladesh.

The US would not deploy any forces inside Ukraine.

Washington has not yet commented on the veracity of the report.

US President Donald Trump has previously said the US would not put boots on the ground in Ukraine, but that he would consider supporting other nations with US air and surveillance capabilities.  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the European Union for advancing security guarantees for Ukraine, saying the system will function during the war and beyond.

He noted that 35 countries have joined the so-called "coalition of the willing," with 26 ready to offer committed to deploying troops to help provide security after a ceasefire deal. 

Zelenskyy highlighted the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative to enhance the European defense industry and address capability gaps as a key tool and stressed that Ukraine must be a full participant.

He said even Russia acknowledges Ukraine's EU path, adding that Hungary’s resistance in negotiations appears increasingly isolated.

Zelenskyy said he coordinated accession steps with European Council President Antonio Costa and thanked EU leaders for supporting sanctions and the use of frozen Russian assets. He also welcomed EU aid for energy, recovery and education in Ukraine. 

Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Grozdan Karadjov has told local media there was no evidence of signal jamming of the plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Karadjov told broadcaster bTV's "This Morning" show that according to records from Bulgaria's Communications Regulation Commission (CRC), no failure of GPS signal involving von der Leyen's flight was found.

"The only thing that the Bulgarian Civil Aviation Administration has submitted to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is that there is this report from the conversation between the tower and the pilot," Karadjov said.

"This is a report from the pilot that he had issues, some problem with the GPS. Minor issues is the last phrase, some minor problems," he added.

The European Commission on Monday said that its president was en route to Bulgaria when her plane faced deliberate GPS jamming. 

"We can confirm there was GPS jamming, but the plane landed safe," Arianna Podesta, a commission spokesperson, said shortly after the incident.

Podesta said the EU received information from Bulgarian authorities that "they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia." 

Bulgaria's BTA news agency cited Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov as saying that there had been distorted interpretations of the incident involving the EU chief.

Zhelyazkov attributed the interference to Russian operations relating to radio frequencies, specifically satellite jamming from systems based in Crimea, that were being carried out as part of electronic warfare with Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not taken by the idea of having Western forces in Ukraine and said they would be viewed as a threat and "legitimate targets."

"If some troops appear there, especially now, during military operations, we proceed from the fact that these will be legitimate targets for destruction," Putin told an economic forum in Vladivostok.

"If decisions are reached that lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply do not see any sense in their presence on the territory of Ukraine, full stop," Putin said.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has illegally annexed and occupied Crimea since 2014.  

Thursday saw 26 countries pledge force deployments as part of post-war security guarantees that would include international forces on land, sea and air.

Putin has argued that NATO expansion has been one of the main reasons why it invaded Ukraine, viewing the alliance's expansion to the east as a threat to Russian security.

"NATO’s attempt to find a way to Ukraine presents a threat to our country. That is why we view the presence of foreign armed forces, of NATO troops on the Ukrainian soil, near our borders, as a threat," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in comments reported by state-run TASS news agency.

"This is a threat to us because NATO views Russia as its enemy, and this is reflected in its documents. We cannot allow this to happen. And we will do everything that should be done to ensure our security," Peskov said.

The commander of Ukraine's drone forces said Russia's Ryazan oil refinery — situated 180 kilometers (110 miles) southeast of Moscow — was targeted.

Robert Brovdi, who heads Ukraine's drone forces, said on Telegram that an oil depot was also targeted in the occupied Luhansk region.

Ryazan's regional governor, Pavel Malkov, said air defense systems had shot down eight drones and that debris had fallen on the premises of an industrial enterprise.

In recent months, Ukraine has attacked Lukoil's Volgograd, Rosneft's Ryazan and a host of other plants in the Rostov, Samara, Saratov and Krasnodar regions.

According to calculations by the Reuters news agency, Ukrainian drone attacks have shut down operations making up at least 17% of Russia's oil processing capabilities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said any foreign troop deployment in Ukraine would be viewed as a threat to Russia and, as such, deemed legitimate targets.

His comments come after a meeting of the "coalition of the willing," a group of European, NATO and non-NATO allies, that agreed to support Kyiv after hostilities end. 

French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe was ready to offer Ukraine security assurances once a peace deal was signed with Russia.

Germany pledged a "decisive contribution" to security guarantees for Ukraine but did not elaborate on a potential military commitment.

"Germany will decide on a military engagement in due course when the framework is clear," a German spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine says it has attacked Russia's Ryazan oil refinery, the target of a previous attack in early August that significantly impacted operations.