Russian leader Vladimir Putin said in an interview with journalist Dmitry Kiselyov for Rossiya 1 and RIA Novosti that if US troops appear in Ukraine, Russia will treat them as interventionists and the United States understands this.
“Here in the United States they have announced that they are not going to introduce troops. We know what American troops on Russian territory are, they are interveners. This is how we will treat it, even if they appear on Ukrainian territory. They understand this,” Putin said.
The head of state expressed confidence that the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine and arms deliveries would not change the situation on the battlefield.
“The fact is that the military of Western countries have been present in Ukraine for a long time, even before the coup d’état, and after the coup d’état their number has multiplied. Now they are present directly, in the form of advisers, they are present in the form of foreign mercenaries and suffer losses. But if we talk about official military contingents of foreign countries, I am sure it will not change the situation on the battlefield. That is the most important thing. Just as the supply of weapons does not change anything,” the president explained.
Putin also added that Polish troops, if they enter the territory of Ukraine, “will never leave there again”. The Russian leader believes that Poland will want to return those lands that it perceives historically its own.
Just to remind you, Polish Deputy Defence Minister Stanislav Wzentek said earlier that Warsaw had no plans to send its military to Ukraine even for the purpose of training Ukrainian army personnel. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis also spoke against sending the country’s servicemen to the Ukrainian territory.
