Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, has warned the West of “tragic consequences” for any country that dared to send troops to Kyiv.
His comments, which came as he delivered the state of the nation address, seemed to be a response to French President, Emmanuel Macron’s refusal earlier this week to rule out sending troops to Ukraine, which drew rejection from leaders in Europe.
“They have announced the possibility of sending Western military contingents to Ukraine,” Putin said.
“The consequences for possible interventionists will be much more tragic,” Putin added.
“They should eventually realise that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory. Everything that the West comes up with creates the real threat of a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons, and thus the destruction of civilisation.”
Vladimir Putin
“Don’t they understand it?” he said, alleging that Western leaders are playing with options of deeper involvement in the conflict.
“Those people haven’t been through any tough challenges and they have forgotten what war means,” he stated.
Putin also said Russia will fight back and “defeat” NATO on their own territory against the threat of expansion, which he warned could trigger a nuclear war.
Putin emphasized that Russia’s nuclear forces are in “full readiness,” saying that the military has deployed potent new weapons, some of them tested on the battlefield in Ukraine.
The President disclosed that Sarmat missiles have been delivered to the troops and that Russia continues to work on a number of “promising weapons systems.”
Putin noted that Russia will need to strengthen its western military district now that Sweden and Finland have joined NATO.
Finland has a long land border with northwest Russia.
Additionally, Putin said that the West is making attempts to curtail Russia’s development.
According to Putin, Western countries do not just want to restrain the development of the Russian Federation, “Instead of Russia, they need a dependent, fading, dying space where they can do whatever they want.”
Putin stated that the West wanted to bring discord to Russia and weaken it from within. He noted that the West made a miscalculation.
“The so-called West with its so colonialist tendencies is striving not only to contain our development but they are intent on destroying us and using our space for whatever their purposes are including Ukraine. They are absolutely determined to introduce division among us and weaken us…
“Citizens of Russia will defend our freedom and independence. It is only down to you that our way will be determined for the future.”
Vladimir Putin
Moreso, Putin asserted that the West is trying to drag Russia into a new arms race “to repeat the trick that they succeeded in the 1980s with the Soviet Union.”
He added that therefore, it is important to “allocate resources as rationally as possible and build an effective economy for the armed forces.”
Russia Ready For Talks With U.S
As part of his state of the nation address, Putin disclosed that Moscow is ready for dialogue with the United States on strategic stability but rejects any attempts to force Russia into talks.
He also rejected the possibility of negotiations on strategic stability with the U.S in isolation from Russian national security issues.
He said that the United States is offering Russia a dialogue on strategic stability while attempting to inflict “strategic defeat on the battlefield.”
“This is hypocritical,” He remarked.
Also, Putin stated that allegations that Moscow plans to place nuclear weapons in space are unfounded.
He stated that this “is a ploy only to drag us into negotiations on its own terms, which are beneficial exclusively to the United States.”
The Russian leader has repeatedly signaled a desire to negotiate an end to the fighting but warned that Russia will hold onto its gains.
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