--- description: The Kremlin doesn’t deny the stakes-raising comment but says it was taken out of context title: Putin: I Could Take Kiev in Two Weeks image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3cb4bdc391a0b31/6986a1bdcd804da9beccc970/ap484172679925.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Putin Boasts of Being Able to Take Kiev in 2 Weeks  by [Denver Nicks](/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 2, 2014 10:21 PM CUT  Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to speaks to the media after his talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 27, 2014 Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to speaks to the media after his talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 27, 2014Alexander Zemlianichenko—AP  by [Denver Nicks](/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 2, 2014 10:21 PM CUT Reports emerged Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin [said](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/03/world/europe/ukraine-crisis.html?%5Fr=1 "undefined") he could take control of Ukraine’s capital city in as little as two weeks, a remark that escalated already pitched tensions between Russia and the West in the lead-up to NATO’s summit in Wales. Putin made the incendiary comment in a phone conversation with European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, according to Barroso’s account, published by Italy’s _La Repubblica_ on Monday. Barroso said he asked Putin if Russian troops had crossed into eastern Ukraine, _La Repubblica_ reports. “That is not the question,” Putin reportedly said. “But if I wanted to, I could take Kiev in two weeks.” The Kremlin did not deny that Putin made the statement, but insisted it was taken out of context. “Whether these words were said or not, in my viewpoint, the quote given is taken out of context, and it had an absolutely different meaning,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said, Interfax reports. Ushakov blasted Barroso for making public the content of what the aide said was intended to be a private conversation. This latest saber rattling comes as NATO officials prepare for a summit at which the alliance is expected to discuss its role in shoring up defenses in Eastern Europe, a perennial irritant for the Kremlin made especially urgent amid ongoing clashes in eastern Ukraine. \[[_NYT_](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/03/world/europe/ukraine-crisis.html?%5Fr=1 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3259699/putin-boast-kiev-2-weeks/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3259699/putin-boast-kiev-2-weeks/"},"headline":"Putin Boasts of Being Able to Take Kiev in 2 Weeks","datePublished":"2014-09-02T22:21:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T09:58:33.140Z","description":"The Kremlin doesn’t deny the stakes-raising comment but says it was taken out of context","url":"https://time.com/3259699/putin-boast-kiev-2-weeks/","keywords":["putin","Ukraine","russia","Vladimir Putin"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3cb4bdc391a0b31/6986a1bdcd804da9beccc970/ap484172679925.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Denver Nicks","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3cb4bdc391a0b31/6986a1bdcd804da9beccc970/ap484172679925.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Vladimir Putin","caption":"Vladimir Putin","creditText":"Alexander Zemlianichenko—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3259699/putin-boast-kiev-2-weeks/","name":"Putin Boasts of Being Able to Take Kiev in 2 Weeks"}}]}] ```