A passenger bus veered off a road and plunged into a precipice in a mountainous region in Sri Lanka, killing 15 people and injuring 16 others, a police spokesman said Friday.

The accident occurred near the town of Wellawaya, about 280 kilometers (174 miles) east of the capital Colombo, on Thursday night and the bus fell into a roughly 1,000-foot precipice, police spokesman Fredrick Wootler said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine before a peace agreement has been signed would be considered "legitimate targets" by Moscow's forces.

Putin's comments came hours after European leaders repledged their commitment to a potential peacekeeping force.

A spokesman for the Kremlin said Friday that Western countries "cannot" provide security guarantees for Ukraine, according to remarks reported by Russian state media.

"Can foreign, especially European and American military contingents, provide and guarantee security for Ukraine? Definitely not, they cannot," spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state news agency RIA Novosti.

NATO chief Mark Rutte said Thursday that Russia did not have a veto on whether Western powers can deploy troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees if a truce is reached.

Russia fired more than 500 drones and two dozen missiles at Ukraine overnight, authorities said Wednesday, as Ukraine's president and European leaders persevered with talks aimed at strengthening Ukrainian defenses and adding momentum to so far unsuccessful U.S.-led peace efforts.

The main Russian nighttime targets were civilian infrastructure, especially energy facilities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as another winter approaches three years after Russia's all-out invasion of its neighbor. The attacks targeted mainly western and central Ukraine and wounded at least five people, the Ukrainian air force said.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping said humanity must choose between peace and war and dialogue and confrontation in a speech Wednesday before a major military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Xi started a brief address by remembering the Chinese veterans of the war and called for the eradication of the roots of war to prevent history from repeating itself. But his main message was forward looking: Today, China is strong, fears no one and is ready to take a leading role in the world.

France's Prime Minister François Bayrou is scrambling to save his government and his job, holding talks this week with leaders across the political spectrum — including far-right leader Marine Le Pen — ahead of a parliamentary confidence vote on his government's plan to cut public spending.

China's missiles, fighter jets and other military hardware — some on public view for the first time — will be displayed in a major parade on Wednesday in the nation's capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that any deal to resolve the conflict in Ukraine must not compromise Moscow's security.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin as an "old friend" as the two held a series of meetings Tuesday at a time when their countries face both overlapping and differing challenges from the United States.