Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned Poland that any aggression against Belarus "will mean aggression against the Russian Federation."
Putin made the statement during a televised Security Council meeting, days after Poland said it would move military units to the country's east due to the Wagner Group's presence in Belarus.
"Training or joint exercises of the Belarusian army and the Wagner Group is undoubtedly a provocation," Polish defense minister Zbigniew Hoffmann told state-run news agency PAP.
"The Committee analyzed possible threats, such as the dislocation of Wagner Group units. Therefore, the Minister of National Defense, chairman of the Committee Mariusz Blaszczak, decided to move our military formations from the west to the east of Poland."
Putin said Russia would respond to the decision "with all means at our disposal" and suggested the Poland appears to have interests in retaking eastern territories it lost to former Soviet Union leader Josef Stalin, including "a good chunk of Ukraine ... to take back the historic lands.”
He added that "it's well known that they dream of Belarusian lands as well."
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hit back at Putin, tweeting that "Stalin was a war criminal, guilty of the death of hundreds of thousands of Poles."
"The ambassador of the Russian Federation will be summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he said.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.