Barroso says Putin wants to take over Kiev

According to the La Repubblica paper of Italy, President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso described his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where the latter said “If I want, I take Kiev in two weeks,” RIA Novosti reports.

Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov explained that the phrase was ripped out of context and given a different interpretation. He said that such an act was beyond diplomatic ethics.