Claim: Vladimir Putin did not recently threaten to start a war if Ukraine joins NATO
Verdict: Missing context
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement warning Europe regarding Ukraine’s potential NATO membership was made in 2022. Faktoje dismisses the claims circulating on social media that the video was recently recorded.
A video has been shared on social media in our country, alleging that Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened Europe if Ukraine joins NATO.
‘Putin’s message to NATO regarding the deployment of forces to Ukraine: ‘Do it, and you won’t even have time to close your eyes’! Russian President Vladimir Putin made it clear with a blunt statement what will happen to Europeans if Ukraine joins NATO and Kyiv seeks activation of Article 5 for ‘allied assistance,’ users write on social media.
This video was shared online following the recent statement of French President Emmanuel Macron, who did not rule out, in a public meeting, engagement with NATO troops in Ukraine.
| Investiguesi Shkrimor
February 27 at 8:33 AM • © Putin addressing NATO on the deployment of forces in Ukraine: ‘Do it, and you won’t even have time to close your eyes’! Russian President Vladimir Putin, with a blunt statement, made it clear what will happen to Europeans if Ukraine joins NATO and Kiev, in resistance, seeks the activation of Article 5 for ‘allied assistance.’ ‘You won’t even have time to close your eyes if Ukraine joins NATO and if you activate Article 5,’ the Russian leader said, leaving no doubt that there will be a nuclear attack in Europe! Specifically, he said: ‘If Ukraine joins NATO and tries to retake Crimea using military force, this means that European countries will automatically be drawn into a war conflict with Russia. NATO’s and Russia’s capabilities are incomparable. We understand –
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Posts shared on social media
Faktoje undertook a verification process of these videos, initially using tools for photo and video verification to determine their source.
The investigation revealed that the video actually belongs to February 2022, several weeks before Russia started its attacks on Ukraine. Reuters reported on February 7, 2022, that Putin met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Moscow, during which he made these statements.
‘Of course, the capabilities of NATO and Russia are incomparable. We understand that. But we also understand that Russia is one of the leading nuclear states and, in terms of certain modern components, it even surpasses many others. There will be no winners. And you will be drawn into this conflict against your will,’ stated the Russian leader, among other things.
The video circulating on social media was produced by the British tabloid ‘Daily Mail’ and was published on February 8, 2022.
Therefore, the video depicting Putin’s remarks dates back to February 2022, and the statement was made before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This is not a recent statement, as claimed on social media. The claim has been verified by colleagues at ‘Reuters.’
