Ex-Ukrainian president: World is at 'the door of a Third World War'

19 February 2022, 11:20 | Updated: 19 February 2022, 11:38

Petro Poroshenko: 'Don't trust Putin...Don't be afraid of Putin'

The former President of Ukraine tells LBC he is 'absolutely confident' that the world is on the brink of a global conflict thanks to Vladimir Putin's aggression against Ukraine.

Petro Poroshenko spoke to Matt Frei in Kyiv as the crisis on the Ukrainian border intensifies.

"We should understand that we stay in front of the door of a Third World War" he told Matt, while fears of a "false flag" invasion grow following reports of explosions in the rebel held city of Donetsk.

He clarified that he was "absolutely confident" that a global conflict is on the horizon as a result of the border tensions.

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Mr Poroshenko warned Vladimir Putin that it won't be an easy task to invade and capture Ukraine.

"If Putin invades, [Ukraine has] a very strong army, I promise.

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"Every single town, every single village, every single street and every single house would be hell for Russian soldiers. Putin should understand that the price he would pay for that would be enormous."

He went on to tell Matt that if Putin continues his aggression on Ukraine, "forever he will stay in history [as] a criminal of war."

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"What do you think he wants out of this?" Matt wondered, but Mr Poroshenko assured him this should not be a question the West is considering.

"Don't trust Putin" he insisted, adding that the Russian President never keeps his word and should therefore not have his wishes recognised by the West.