Putin made bad impression with terror attack near Moscow - Italian FM

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin made a bad impression with an ISIS attack near Moscow and is engaged in "propaganda" in saying Moscow will down any Western-supplied F-16s used in Ukraine, even at NATO air bases.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said this on the Rai1 TV channel, Ukrinform reports, citing ANSA.

"It looks like a lot of propaganda: Russia made a bad impression with the (Moscow ISIS) attack, it seemed odd to me that the (intelligence) services did not stop it," Tajani said, commenting on Putin's apparent threat to target NATO bases.

Read also: Russia knew about terrorist attack plot since Feb 15 - Ukraine’s defense intel chief

According to him, now Putin is trying to "distract attention."

"Now he's trying to distract attention. I don't think that Putin wants world war, also because he would not win it," Tajani said.

Putin said on March 27 that Russia would "destroy" the F-16 fighter jets that NATO countries are planning to send to Ukraine. At the same time, he said that the jets would be a "legitimate target" if they were "used from the airfields of third countries."

Photo: ANSA