Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia would respond to a direct attack on its territory with “all weapons” in its arsenal, including potentially nuclear arms, while insisting Moscow is not planning to attack European countries.
Speaking at the Valdai Club forum, the Russian president accused Western governments of escalating tensions by discussing preparations for a possible war with Russia, holding military exercises in the Baltic Sea and seizing Russian vessels.
His comments followed a warning from Moscow that NATO would face a nuclear response if alliance members attempted to isolate Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania.
“If it comes to a direct attack on the Russian Federation — in this case we mean Kaliningrad, or maybe some other territories — of course, inevitably and immediately the question of Russian Federation using all weapons at the disposal of our country will appear on the agenda,” Mr Putin said.
He did not specify whether that meant nuclear weapons, but said Russia possessed arms “that no one else has” and would decide which to use if it came under attack.
Asked whether Russia and NATO were approaching war or attempting to intimidate one another, Mr Putin replied: “It’s not intimidation, it’s a response to an attempt to intimidate us.”
He added that “everything is written correctly” in an earlier Russian warning to NATO.
Several Russian embassies in Europe have claimed Moscow has information that NATO is preparing an air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad. The embassies accused European leaders of “playing a dangerous game” by suggesting Russia could attack another country or intensify drone and sabotage operations.
Moscow has dismissed those allegations as absurd. The Russian Embassy in Ireland said Russia would be ready to use “all its arsenal, including nuclear weapons” to defend its territory if NATO countries tried to isolate Kaliningrad.
NATO rejects Russia’s nuclear warning
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said Russia had sent a written message to the alliance and condemned what she described as a threat of force, “including any irresponsible nuclear rhetoric”.
Ms Hart said NATO was not targeting Kaliningrad and had told Moscow that the alliance was defensive, adding that none of its activities or exercises posed a risk to any part of Russia.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the response had been “short and concise”. Speaking to Euronews, he said: “Basically what we said is, ‘Hey, listen, we are defensive alliance, and stop the nuclear threat. This is absolutely not called for and not helpful.’”
The alliance also called on Russia to end its “unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine”, which is now in its fifth year.
Kaliningrad contains Russia’s main Baltic navy base and other military assets, including nuclear-capable Iskander missiles. Western military officers have said key installations there would probably be among the first targets if Russia attacked a NATO ally.
NATO members have held military exercises in the Baltic region in recent months, with more planned in October. The alliance launched Operation Baltic Sentry there last year to protect communication cables and pipelines.
On August 18, NATO conducted an exercise over northern Poland and the Baltic region involving several aircraft, including an American EA-37B Compass Call capable of jamming communications and radar. Defence analysts said the large-scale, unannounced exercise was unlikely to have been welcomed by the Kremlin.
European leaders and intelligence services have warned that Russia could be ready to attack another country within a few years, particularly if it wins its war in Ukraine.
Mr Rutte said Russia was seeking to divide NATO members and distract attention from support for Ukraine. “We will not,” he said, urging continued assistance for Kyiv as the appropriate response.
