Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West of the possibility of nuclear war if it sent its troops to fight for Ukraine, claiming Moscow had the capabilities to strike Western targets. “Today, any potential aggressors will face far graver consequences. They must grasp that we also have weapons capable of striking targets on their territory,” Putin said.
Putin Warns West of Potential Nuclear War
In his annual State of the Nation address on Thursday, Putin dismissed reports that Russia intends to invade Europe as “nonsense,” but warned that his country might strike Western countries with nuclear weapons. “The strategic nuclear forces are on full combat alert and the ability to use them is assured,” Putin remarked.
“The West has provoked conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and other regions around the world while consistently propagating falsehoods.” Putin said. “Everything they are inventing now, spooking the world with the threat of a conflict involving nuclear weapons, which potentially means the end of civilisation – don’t they realise this?” he added.
The Russian leader discussed Western strategies, stating, “We are also aware of the Western attempts to draw us into an arms race, thereby exhausting us, mirroring the strategy they successfully employed with the Soviet Union in the 1980s.”
He also talked about the need to strengthen forces in the “western strategic theatre” to confront the risks posed by NATO’s further “eastward expansion, with Sweden and Finland joining the alliance.”
“Our current imperative is to bolster our defence industry in such a way as to increase our country’s scientific, technological and industrial capabilities,” Putin explained.
Putin warns of ‘real’ nuclear war risk if West escalates Ukraine conflict https://t.co/l3MFc1cDU7
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 29, 2024
On Relations with US
“Russia is ready for dialogue with the US on issues of strategic stability. However, it is important to clarify that in this case we are dealing with a state whose ruling circles are taking openly hostile actions towards us,” Putin stressed.
In response to recent reports that Russia was deploying nuclear weapons in space, he responded, saying, “They have recently made unfounded allegations, in particular, against Russia, regarding plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space. Such fake narratives, and this story is unequivocally false, are designed to involve us in negotiations on their conditions, which will only benefit the US.”
“There are reasons to suspect that the current US administration’s professed interest in discussing strategic stability with us is merely demagoguery,” the Russian President stressed. “They [West] continue to think of this [War] as a kind of action cartoon,” Putin argued. “The so-called West, with its colonial practices and penchant for inciting ethnic conflicts around the world, not only seeks to impede our progress but also envisions a Russia that is a dependent, declining, and dying space where they can do as they please,” he asserted.
Putin Appreciates Russian Troops
“The defence and the strengthening of sovereignty are going on across the board, primarily, on the frontlines, where our troops are fighting with steadfast and selfless resolve,” Putin stated. “The entire nation has the deepest respect for your feat, mourns the dead, and Russia will always remember its fallen heroes,” he added.
The President further praised Russia’s military accomplishments, saying it was “confidently advancing in a number of operational areas and liberating more and more territories” and now “firmly holds the initiative” in Ukraine, following Kyiv’s recent retreat from the eastern town of Avdiivka.
Putin argued, “Our units have seized the initiative and will not surrender it. They are confidently advancing in several operational theatres and liberating more territories.” “We will do everything to put an end to it, eradicate Nazism and fulfil all the objectives of the special military operation, as well as defend sovereignty and ensure that our people are safe.”