Vladimir Putin Ukraine boast: If I want I will take Kiev in two weeks
Vladimir Putin has stoked tensions over Ukraine by boasting: “If I want, I will take Kiev in two weeks.”
The Russian President's threat was made in a phone call to European Union President Manuel Barroso, according to Italian newspaper La Republica.
It came as hundreds of Kiev troops were forced to flee a “battalion” of Moscow’s tanks in east Ukraine.
They retreated from the key Luhansk airport after engaging the tank column for hours in a battle which saw seven defending soldiers killed.
The violence – amid Kiev claims that Russian armour and soldiers are pouring over the border – was branded “direct and open aggression” by Ukraine’s president Petro Poroshenko.
Defence minister Valeriy Geletey said the Russians were moving into other towns in the region, including its largest city, Donetsk .
He accused Russia of a “full-scale invasion” and alleged that Moscow has threatened to use “tactical nuclear weapons” against his country.
In the Commons, PM David Cameron said the presence of Russian soldiers in the region was “unjustified and unacceptable”.
He added: “Russia appears to be trying to force Ukraine to abandon its democratic choices at the barrel of a gun.”
German President Joachim Gauck said Russia has “effectively severed its partnership” with Europe.
A new wave of EU sanctions, to be announced this week, could see Europeans barred from buying Russian government bonds .
However, several countries heavily dependent on Russian gas, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria, oppose the move.
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