Ukraine gets more military aid from Europe but Putin warns of consequences if Russian soil is hit

By BARRY HATTON and RAF CASERT
Associated Press

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has received a second $1 billion promise of military aid in as many days during a whirlwind tour of three European Union countries. At the same time, President Vladimir Putin warned that hitting Russian soil with Western weapons could set the war on a dangerous new path. The aid pledge for 2024 came from Belgium, which topped up the money with a commitment to give 30 F-16 fighter jets over the next four years. Kyiv’s depleted army is weathering intense assaults by the Kremlin’s better-equipped forces. Putin warned that Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range weapons to strike Russian territory could bring a dangerous escalation.