Putin Warns Of ‘Full-Scale WW3’ If West Sends Troops To Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s election victory speech and Q&A with the press was full of familiar themes, but he used the occasion after capturing a record 87% of the vote to warn the US and Europe that a “full-scale World War III” is “possible” should any Western troops enter Ukraine.
The remarks came in response to a journalist’s question on President Macron’s recent statements saying he thinks sending troops to Ukraine should be a realistic possibility. Putin responded on Sunday: “I think anything is possible in today’s world and it’s clear to everyone that this would be one step from a full-scale World War III.”
But the Russian leader also emphasized that NATO military personnel are already present in Ukraine, with Russian intelligence having observed English and French at times being spoken on the battlefield. “There is nothing good in this, first of all for them, because they are dying there and in large numbers,” he said.
Putin said, “It seems that France could play a role. All is not lost yet.” Over the weekend French President Macron floated the idea of a Ukraine ceasefire during the Paris Olympics, which is set to take place from July 26 to August 11 of this year:
France wants Russia to observe a cease-fire in Ukraine during this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with Ukrainian television on Saturday.
“This is a message of peace,” Macron said, before a voiceover interpreter quoted the French president as saying that France is doing so in line with the spirit of the Olympic movement.
Putin appeared to respond to this overture, saying in his Sunday address: “I’ve been saying it over and over again and I’ll say it again. We are for peace talks, but not just because the enemy is running out of bullets,” Putin stated.
“If they really, seriously, want to build peaceful, good-neighborly relations between the two states in the long term, and not simply take a break for rearmament for 1.5-2 years.”
The Kremlin followed up later with this exchange:
Commenting on the French President’s call for a ceasefire, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova urged Macron to stop weapon supplies to Ukraine.
Zakharova also said Macron should have proposed the same ceasefire to the sides of the conflict in the Middle East.
