(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia may become Russia's next targets as Moscow could test NATO's reaction on these nations.
President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, told this to journalists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan in an interview, as reported by the Kazakh media outlet Vlast , Ukrinform saw. The conversation took place at the Kharkiv printing house earlier hit by the Russians.
"We believe that the Baltic States - Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia - are under threat first of all, and we have told all our partners about this. Targeting these countries, Russia may try to test NATO's reaction to the invasion or illegal border penetration into these countries," said Volodymyr Zelensky.
Read also: Why does the West need to intensify aid for Ukraine?
He recalled that a few days ago the Russians tried to move the buoys on the Narva on the border with Estonia.
"There was no reaction (to the incident - ed.), respectively, because NATO allies are really careful. And this is what Russia needs – to show strength. We receive information that among their priorities are the Baltic States, Moldova, and Kazakhstan as the nearest targets for the Russian Federation," the president said.
He also stated that everything that the Russians do and say is a lie.
Read also: Zelensky : Putin not only wants to disrupt peace summit, but he is also afraid of what it can brin
"For example, they say that we are 'friends with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, they are our brothers' – this is all a lie. Believe me, this will happen in a split second: first, they occupy some area, especially where ethnic Russians live, where there is something to cling to. I am not saying there should be persecution of certain minorities or communities that exist in the territory of your countries. But it will all come down to them needing a pretext. Then they move to occupy some district. They will say that we just keep people calm, we just help them, but the finale is clear. If your people, you, resist becoming part of Russia, you will inevitably face a full-scale invasion and, of course, death and war," Zelensky concluded.
As reported, yesterday, May 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the site of the printing house in Kharkiv that was destroyed in a Russian strike.
MENAFN25052024000193011044ID1108256598
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.