Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a cautionary message to Western nations, emphasizing the potential for a nuclear conflict if they were to deploy their own troops to Ukraine. During his address to parliament and other influential figures in the country, Putin highlighted Moscow’s possession of weapons capable of targeting Western territories. Furthermore, he reiterated his belief that the West is actively seeking to undermine Russia.
Putin expressed his concern that Western leaders fail to comprehend the grave consequences of their interference in Russia’s internal affairs.
Notably, he specifically referred to French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent suggestion of European NATO members sending ground troops to Ukraine. However, this proposal was swiftly dismissed by the United States, Germany, Britain, and other nations.
“(Western nations) must realize that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory,” said Putin.
“All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization. Don’t they get that?!”
Putin, who spoke prior to the upcoming presidential election on March 15-17, where he is expected to secure another six-year term, praised Russia’s significantly modernized nuclear arsenal, which is the largest in the world.
The conflict in Ukraine has led to the most severe crisis in Moscow’s relations with the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Putin has previously expressed concerns about the risks associated with a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.
In a visibly agitated state, Putin, who has been Russia’s top leader for over two decades, implied that Western leaders should remember the fates of historical figures such as Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany and Napoleon Bonaparte of France, who both failed in their attempts to invade his country.
“But now the consequences will be far more tragic,” said Putin.
“They think it (war) is a cartoon,” he said.
The Western politicians were accused by him of forgetting the true meaning of war, as they had not experienced the same security challenges that Russians had faced in the past thirty years. According to Putin, the Russian forces now held the advantage on the battlefield in Ukraine and were making progress in multiple locations.
He further stated that Russia needed to strengthen the troops stationed along its western borders with the European Union, especially after Finland and Sweden decided to join the NATO military alliance. Dismissing Western claims, the veteran Kremlin leader labeled suggestions of Russian forces attacking European countries as “nonsense.” Additionally, he emphasized that Moscow would not repeat the Soviet Union’s mistake of being drawn into an arms race with the West, which would excessively drain its budget.
“Therefore, our task is to develop the defense-industrial complex in such a way as to increase the scientific, technological, and industrial potential of the country,” he said.
