Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is not planning to attack any European country. But if there is a direct attack on Kaliningrad or any other area of Russia, Russia will use all the weapons at its disposal to defend itself. Putin said this at the Valdai Forum held in Moscow on Thursday.
Putin said that Russia wants to live in peace with Europe. But if it is attacked, the question immediately arises of using all available weapons. He also said that the situation would be critical for Russia.
Why did tensions rise over Kaliningrad?
Kaliningrad is the westernmost region of Russia. It is located between NATO member states Poland and Lithuania, and Russia has a large military presence here. Russia has warned NATO that it could use nuclear weapons to protect Kaliningrad if it tries to cut it off from the rest of Russia.
The tension between Russia and NATO has increased on this issue. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that NATO’s military system is defensive and that the threat of nuclear weapons is not helpful. Relations between Russia and the West have been strained since the Ukraine war began in 2022. European countries have also accused Russia of escalating so-called hybrid warfare through activities such as sabotage and arson. Russia denies the allegations.
Putin ready for meeting with Jinping-Trump
Putin said that the ever-escalating tensions could reach a point from which it would be difficult to return. He appealed to the countries of the world not to create situations in which weapons of mass destruction could be used. Putin also said he is ready for a tri-nation meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, but the agenda for the meeting must be set first.
On the Ukraine war, Putin said that Russia would not stop attacks on Ukrainian targets in the Black Sea region. He acknowledged that the Ukrainian attacks had damaged Russia’s oil refineries and cost Russia about 1% of its GDP. However, he said Russia was not currently planning to attack European arms factories that supply weapons to Ukraine.
