Putin Warns "All Weapons Including Nuclear Arms on the Table If West Threatens Kaliningrad"

Preventing the Isolation of Kaliningrad

Growing Fears of Direct Confrontation Between Russia and NATO

AFP Yonhap News Agency

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on October 1 (local time) that Russia could deploy all available weapons, including nuclear arms, if its exclave of Kaliningrad is threatened by the West. Concerns are growing over the possibility of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO member states following the war in Ukraine.

According to TASS, during a speech at the Valdai Forum held in Moscow, President Putin stated, "If Western countries launch an attack on Kaliningrad or any other Russian territory, the use of all weapons at our disposal will inevitably be discussed. This is unavoidable." He continued, "The United Kingdom and France are both nuclear powers. We are fully aware of this. However, no country other than Russia possesses the kind of weapons that we have. That is precisely our competitive advantage," he emphasized.

President Putin added, "We had no choice but to start the war with Ukraine to protect our security, and Russia has no plans to attack European countries first. We seek peaceful coexistence." Previously, Russia had delivered a strongly worded letter of warning to NATO stating that "if NATO member states attempt to isolate Kaliningrad, Russia is prepared to mobilize all available forces and capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend its territory."

In response to these threats, NATO stated, "None of NATO's exercises or activities pose a threat to the territory of the Russian Federation." NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also explained, "We are a defensive alliance. Stop the nuclear threats. This is absolutely unacceptable and not helpful."

Even if the war in Ukraine comes to an end in the future, there are growing concerns that the conflict between NATO and Russia over Kaliningrad will intensify. Kaliningrad is an exclave separated from the Russian mainland and borders NATO member states such as Poland and Lithuania. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Sweden and Finland have abandoned their neutrality and joined NATO one after another, increasing concerns of potential future clashes with Russia.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.