European troops in Ukraine would be legitimate targets: Russia

Any European troop contingent deployed to Ukraine would become legitimate targets for Russia’s armed forces, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in remarks published by state news agency TASS on Sunday.

Lavrov also accused European politicians of being driven by “ambitions” in their relations with Kiev and disregarding the people of Ukraine and of their own nations.

The Russian Foreign Minister said Moscow would respond to any move to deploy European troops in Ukraine or to use frozen Russian assets to support Kiev.

He also underlined that Russia has no plans to go to war with Europe.

“However, we will respond to any hostile actions, including the deployment of European military contingents in Ukraine and the seizure of Russian assets. We are already prepared for such a response,” he said.