Putin's Kiev remarks 'taken out of context'
A Russian official has complained that EU Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso breached confidentiality when he quoted President Vladimir Putin as saying that Moscow could take over Kiev in two weeks if it wished.
Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters in Moscow that Mr Putin’s statement was “quoted out of context and carried a completely different meaning”.
He said it was unworthy of Mr Barroso to speak publicly about a private conversation.
Several European publications earlier this week quoted Mr Barroso as saying that Mr Putin had said in a private conversation that Russian forces could take over Ukraine’s capital in two weeks’ time if they wished.
Pro-Russian rebels have been fighting Ukrainian government troops since mid-April in a conflict that has left more than 2,500 people dead.
