Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a stark warning to the West, asserting that Russia was technically prepared for nuclear conflict. He emphasized that any deployment of US troops to Ukraine would be deemed a serious escalation in the ongoing conflict .
Russian President Vladimir Putin, addressing the upcoming March 15-17 election that is poised to extend his tenure by another six years, emphasized that the specter of nuclear war was not imminent.
Furthermore, he expressed the view that there was no necessity for deploying nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
President Putin says Russia is ready for nuclear war if it comes to it, his latest warning to the West ahead of an election this week that will see him extend his rule. https://t.co/ubMdhBQRGK
— NBC News World (@NBCNewsWorld) March 13, 2024
“From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready,” Putin, aged 71, asserted during an interview with Rossiya-1 television and news agency RIA. When questioned about Russia’s preparedness for nuclear war, he confirmed their readiness.
Putin stated that the United States was aware that deploying American troops either on Russian soil or in Ukraine would be perceived as an intervention by Russia. Moscow maintains that it has annexed four Ukrainian regions, asserting their full integration into Russia.
Vladimir Putin recently emphasized that there are sufficient experts in the United States who specialize in Russian-American relations and strategic restraint.
“Therefore, I don’t think that here everything is rushing to it (nuclear confrontation), but we are ready for this.”
The Biden administration has clarified that it currently does not intend to deploy troops to Ukraine. However, it emphasizes the importance of passing a delayed security aid bill.
On Wednesday, the White House did not provide an immediate response to Putin’s remarks. However, it has previously asserted that there is no evidence indicating Russia’s imminent readiness to employ nuclear weapons, despite what it characterizes as Putin’s “nuclear saber-rattling”.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior official in the Ukrainian presidential administration, stated to Reuters that he perceives Putin’s nuclear warning as a form of propaganda aimed at intimidating Western nations.
“Realising that things are going the wrong way, Putin continues to use classic nuclear rhetoric. With the old Soviet hope – ‘be scared and retreat!’,” said Podolyak, who said he believed such talk showed Putin was afraid of losing the war.
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has plunged Moscow’s relations with Western nations into their most severe crisis since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
While President Putin frequently emphasizes the dangers of nuclear conflict, he asserts that he has never considered deploying nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
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