Georgia's Saakashvili: A US-Armed Ukraine Could 'Capture All of Russia'

© AP Photo / Virginia MayoMikhail told Ukrainian television on Saturday that a properly trained and armed Ukrainian army could "capture the whole of Russia."
Mikhail told Ukrainian television on Saturday that a properly trained and armed Ukrainian army could capture the whole of Russia. - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Mikhail Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia, told Ukrainian television that with the appropriate knowledge, skills and weaponry, the Ukrainian military could "capture the whole of Russia."

Tamar Beruchashvili - Sputnik International
Georgia Says Disputes With Russia Should Be Resolved Peacefully
Former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili told Ukrainian television on Saturday that a properly armed and prepared Ukrainian army has the "spirit" to capture all of Russia.

In an interview for Ukraine's Channel 24, Saakashvili noted that "our officers, who were trained by the Americans, are now training your military. They say that the spirit of Ukrainian soldiers is the best in the world, and that if they were given the necessary knowledge, skills and weapons, they would be able to capture the whole of Russia."

Saakashvili told the television channel that he believes that "the main problem for Ukraine is its outdated anti-tank weaponry. But newer [weapons systems] exist in the US, and, if they were willing to provide them, Ukraine would smash the first 50 Russian tanks, everything will go completely differently from there."

The former Georgian president noted that the US "saw the feat of the Ukrainian people," and "saw that Ukraine is ready to defend the democratic values, so integral for the United States." He noted that the US is "ready to provide Ukraine with [anti-tank weaponry], ready to give drones and artillery."

The Georgian parliament has ratified an agreement under which one battalion and one squad from the country's military will participate in the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan in 2015. - Sputnik International
NATO Plans to Hold Military Exercises in Georgia in 2015
Saakashvili, who left Georgia immediately after President Giorgi Margvelashvili's inauguration in November 2013, is facing several charges in his home country over his alleged abuse of power, the use of excessive force against protesters and the carrying out of politically motivated murders. Late last year, Georgian Foreign Affairs Minister David Kereselidze noted that if rumors of Saakashvili's involvement in the post-coup Ukrainian government turned out to be true, they would negatively affect bilateral relations between the two countries.

Ahead of the 2008 war with South Ossetia, Georgia was heavily armed by the US; many Russian analysts have concluded that the US provided Saakashvili with tacit approval for the attack on the breakaway republic of South Ossetia.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала