Russia warns UK and France amid rising Ukraine tensions

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned on Thursday that Russia reserves the right to target British military locations inside and outside Ukraine following Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory utilizing British missiles. She urged Britain to reconsider its hostile stance towards Ukraine, which she believes could escalate the conflict to unprecedented levels.

Earlier, Zakharova had labeled Britain and France as "playing with fire" for supplying Ukraine with sensitive missile technology. On Monday, Britain announced its approval for Kyiv to begin manufacturing Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles, which can reach deep into Russian territory. France has already granted permission for the European missile to be licensed.

The Kremlin dismissed US media reports that Russia might attack a NATO member state, stating that such scare stories have no basis in reality. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov further dismissed concerns about US CIA Director John Ratcliffe's trip to Moscow, stating that the meeting was merely to discuss sensitive matters between the two intelligence services.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, announced the possibility of September talks between Ukrainian and Russian teams, potentially including US representatives. Ukraine aims to restart negotiations, with further developments expected next month. The US-led peace talks have been stalled, as Ukraine refuses Russian territorial demands and Washington focuses on its conflict with Iran.

Zelensky suggested that Ukraine could utilize a window of opportunity for US mediation until the end of next summer and has drafted a proposal with US and European advisors for presentation to Moscow. The last trilateral talks involving US representatives occurred in February, with subsequent discussions between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators and the US team occurring separately.