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Attempts to send Polish troops to Ukraine may end up with a long-term occupation, says Putin

13 March 2024 12:07 (UTC +04:00)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Poland against sending troops to Ukraine, saying that any such attempt would lead to further escalation and may end up with a long-term occupation, APA reports citing First Post.

In an extensive interview with Russian journalist Dmitry Kiselyov, which is set to be aired by Rossiya 1 TV and RIA Novosti on Wednesday, Putin said “If Polish troops enter the territory of Ukraine to, as they say, secure the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, for example, or in some other places to free up Ukrainian rear military units to participate in hostilities on the frontline, then I think that Polish troops will never leave,” Putin said, according to snippets of the interview.

Poland’s foreign minister said last week that the presence of NATO forces “is not unthinkable” and that he appreciates the French president for not ruling out that idea.

Radek Sikorski observed a discussion marking the 25th anniversary of Poland’s accession to NATO in the Polish parliament Friday, and the Foreign Ministry tweeted the comments later in English.