With a grin, Vladimir Putin warns Ukraine: the war can get more serious
- In his first public comments on a recent rout of Russian forces, the president says the plan for his ‘special military plan’ is ‘not subject to adjustment’
- Putin’s remarks come soon after the leaders of China and India expressed concerns over the situation in Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin on Friday brushed off a lightning Ukrainian counteroffensive with a smile but warned that Russia would respond more forcefully if its troops were put under further pressure.
Speaking after a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, Putin cast the invasion as a necessary step to prevent what he said was a Western plot to break Russia apart.
Moscow, he said, was in no hurry in Ukraine. And its goals remained unchanged.
“The Kyiv authorities announced that they have launched and are conducting an active counteroffensive operation. Well, let’s see how it develops, how it ends up,” Putin said with a grin.
01:49
Ukraine’s shock counteroffensive on eastern front pushes back Russian invasion forces
It was his first public comment on a rout of his forces in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region a week ago that has prompted unusually strong public criticism from Russian military commentators.