Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters Friday at the BRICS meeting in New Delhi that any European decision to station soldiers in Ukraine would turn the fighting into a direct clash with Moscow.

The comment followed French President Emmanuel Macron stating a week earlier that 26 nations, including Britain, had agreed to back a peacekeeping force that would enter once hostilities ended. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated the view on Saturday, describing it as a stance already given to the world and especially to Europeans in plain terms rather than a fresh limit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said nearly 500 Russian drones struck the country on Saturday, killing three civilians and injuring dozens. Ukraine borders Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova, any of which, together with other European NATO members, could later send forces.