Putin's list of European countries Russia could invade with 'troops there in two days'
dailystar.co.ukVladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine sparked fears of war spreading across the rest of Europe. With Russia sending threats to other countries in recent weeks, those fears may not be completely unfounded.In September 2014, Putin listed five European countries in a private threat over Russia's growing military strength.The countries privately warned were Poland, Romania and the Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - which are all part of the EU, the bloc that Ukraine was also looking to join at the time.According to German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, Putin allegedly told then Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko: "If I wanted, in two days I could have Russian troops not only in Kyiv but also in Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn, Warsaw and Bucharest."The statement, if made in these terms, represented the first time Putin had discussed the idea of invading an EU or NATO member state.European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, who is Latvian, told Politico earlier this month that Putin is likely to ramp up his military ambitions and challenge NATO in the Baltic Sea countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia if he is triumphant in Ukraine.He said: “If we do not support Ukraine, it’s not going to stop in Ukraine.
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