The Russian president is said to have threatened former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that he could have troops on the ground in Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Romania within two days.

His troops are currently in heavy fighting after failing to take control of Ukraine following a rapid invasion. In his comments, which were reportedly made in 2014, Putin claimed he could have troops in the capitals of all six countries within two days. The German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung reported that Putin told Poroshenko, who was succeeded by Volodymyr Zelensky in 2019: “If I wanted, in two days I could have Russian troops not only in Kyiv, but also in Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn. , Warsaw and Bucharest. . » Russian forces have suffered heavy casualties in the last month of fighting (Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Read more related articles Read more related articles He also told Poroshenko, as it is claimed, “not to rely too much on the EU.” The alleged threat came after Putin reportedly said he could occupy the Ukrainian capital “in two weeks” as thousands of Russian troops gathered at the border, according to the Mirror Online. Poroshenko told the US Congress in 2014: “If they do not stop now, they will cross European borders and spread around the world.” The Kremlin later denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday stating “Similar, baseless allegations concerning Putin have been made more than once. Last month, the Russian government falsely claimed that the Russian invaders would be greeted by citizens in Ukraine, but instead met with strong resistance and were unable to secure Kyiv. There have long been fears that the Russian president plans to expand his territory to EU and NATO countries. Earlier this month, European Commission Vice President Valdis Dobrovskis warned that Putin could target aggression in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia if Ukraine fell. He said: “If we do not support Ukraine, it will not stop in Ukraine. “Obviously, Putin is now in a kind of aggressive warlike mood, and unfortunately, that aggression is likely to continue in other countries.” In an interview with The Economist, Ukraine’s current president, Mr Zelensky, said sanctions against Russia came too late, suggesting the invasion could have been prevented. He said: “I am convinced that if tougher sanctions had been imposed earlier, there would not have been a large-scale Russian attack.” Yesterday, Zelensky told a group of Russian freelance journalists on Sunday that Kyiv was ready to become neutral and meet with Moscow on some of its demands. It would abandon its bid to join NATO and pledge not to develop nuclear weapons, on the grounds that Russia would withdraw its troops and give Kyiv security guarantees. Vladimir Putin is said to have made the ominous threat in 2014 (Image: AFP via Getty Images) Read more related articles No peace deal would be possible without a ceasefire and the withdrawal of troops, he said, although he ruled out trying to retake all Russian territory by force, saying “it would lead to a third world war.” The goal, he said, was to reach a “compromise” on the area of ​​eastern Donbass, which has been held by Russian-backed forces since 2014. However, Zelensky said Ukraine had refused to discuss some other Russian demands, such as the demilitarization of the country. Zelensky hosted a video call – which the Kremlin warned Russian media outlets not to report – to give a direct message to Russian journalists on the eve of a new round of peace talks in Turkey. The president has previously spoken in Russian in speeches addressed to a Russian audience. The proposed meeting in the middle was on the condition that the changes be put to a referendum and third parties promised to protect Ukraine, he said. “Security guarantees and neutrality, the non-nuclear status of our state – we are ready to do it. “This is the most important point; they started the war because of it,” Zelensky said. Do not miss the latest news from all over Scotland and beyond – Subscribe to our daily newsletter here.