“If I wanted to, in two days I could have Russian troops not only in Kyiv, but also in Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn, Warsaw and Bucharest.” It was 2014 when the President Wladimir Putin He launched his challenge to Europe, announcing a more massive invasion of neighboring territories. And the statements were made to thenUkrainian leader Petro Poroshenko. The tsar had said more, namely that it would take him two days to position his army in front of those frontiers that were to be crossed by military force. The borders of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Romania.
On February 24, Russian soldiers invaded Ukraine and are currently engaged in very heavy fighting. Certainly tougher than expected, since the “special operation,” as Putin called it, didn’t go as planned. No blitzkrieg and in some parts of the country even the risk of defeat. The Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on the news of the impending invasion of the six neighboring countries, which reported precisely on this dialogue between the Russian President and Poroshenko, who was replaced in office by Volodymyr Zelenskyj in 2019: “If I wanted to, I could see Russian troops in two days not only in Kyiv, but also in Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn, Warsaw and Bucharest announced the head of the Kremlin in Poroshenko . And be aware that in this case you cannot rely on the EU very much ».
The small country of Moldova, like its immediate neighbor Ukraine, has its eyes west. But it fears it could also draw the wrath of Russian President Vladimir Putin. https://t.co/c1yHOcfi5Q
SBS News (@SBSNews) March 29, 2022
The Russian president claimed on March 11 that he had sent thousands of men to fight in Ukraine to organize a “special military operation,” confirming that what he said to the former Ukrainian president was not just a threat , but even spoke about it at the United States Congress in 2014. “If they are not stopped now he declared they will cross European borders and spread throughout the world”.
The Kremlin later denied that Putin made such statements. But an established system seems to deny what is really happening on the part of Russia. Moreover, as recently as last month, the government of the Federation falsely claimed that the Russian invaders were being greeted with enthusiasm by the citizens of Ukraine. And he also tried to convince young conscripts who were sent to war of this. In fact, Kyiv resisted with great force, and even today the battle is still open.
But Putin must have a real vision of further expansion in Europe. In recent weeks, Moscow has repeatedly tried to convey that any European intervention would be expensive. And indeed, after Ukraine, Sweden and Finland also came into the Russian crosshairs. The next attack, the Kremlin said, will depend on the two neighboring countries’ decision on whether or not to join NATO. And it was Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharovam who reiterated that such a move would risk “serious politicomilitary repercussions. “Finland and Sweden should not base their security on endangering the security of other countries, and their membership in NATO can have harmful consequences and face some military and political consequences,” was Zakharova’s message.
So what could happen after the invasion of Ukraine? With his advance, Putin is breaking many international agreements, violating various laws and supporting theses that are often unfounded. Therefore, it is not easy to predict the next step, analysts explain, because it could in fact be the result of a delusion of omnipotence that goes beyond the principles of democracy and peaceful coexistence. What is known today, given the current situation, it is likely that Ukraine will end up being discussed with a different status, not linked to NATO, but still protected by countries that are part of NATO.
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