India, Sept. 5 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday announced that Moscow is "ready" to host peace talks with Ukraine, offering to provide full security guarantees for Ukrainian delegates.

In a rare acknowledgement, the Russian leader also stated that Ukraine has a legal right to pursue European Union membership.

Putin was speaking a day after French President Emmanuel Macron said 26 countries had pledged to provide postwar security guarantees to Ukraine, including an international force on land, sea and in the air.

He also warned any Western troops deployed to Ukraine would be a "legitimate" target for Moscow's army, a day after Kyiv's Western allies said they had committed to a troop presence in the event of a peace deal....