Ukrainian army is foreign NATO legion, with geopolitical aims of constraining Russia – Putin

16:12, 26.01.2015 1 min read

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Ukrainian army is a NATO legion that is not pursuing the national interests of Ukraine, but aiming to reach its geopolitical goals of constraining Russia.

"We often say: Ukrainian army, Ukrainian army. But who is really fighting there? There are indeed some official military units, but they are largely so-called volunteer nationalist battalions," Putin said during a meeting with students of the National Mineral Resources University in St. Petersburg.

"Essentially, it's not an army, it's a foreign legion, which, of course, does not pursue the national interests of Ukraine. It has totally different aims and they are connected to achieving the geopolitical goals of constraining Russia, which is absolutely against the national interests of the people of Ukraine," Putin said.