By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to attack Western countries with nuclear weapons if they send troops to fight in Ukraine.
He said that the Western NATO military alliance is “preparing to strike our territory” but warned any such move – including sending troops to Ukraine – could trigger a nuclear conflict and the “destruction of civilization.”
Putin previously mentioned the dangers of a direct battle between NATO and Russia, but his nuclear warning Thursday in his annual State of the Union speech was one of his most explicit.
The war in Ukraine has triggered the worst crisis in Moscow’s relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world close to nuclear conflict.
Putin said Western countries that were helping Ukraine strike Russian territory “must, in the end, understand” that “all this truly threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons, and therefore the destruction of civilization.”
He added, “We also have weapons that can strike targets on their territory. Do they not understand this?”
The Russian leader alluded to comments by French President Emmanuel Macron this week raising the possibility of sending ground troops from NATO countries to Ukraine.
WAR THREAT
That prompted the Kremlin to warn about the “inevitability” of a direct conflict between Russia and the Western alliance without providing more details. On Thursday, Putin added the nuclear element to the standoff, increasing concerns among Western leaders.
Putin also said Russia must be “properly protected” after expanding NATO to include Sweden and Finland.
Hungary, where the government maintains close ties with Russia, was the last NATO member state to agree on Sweden’s entry into the alliance.
Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, NATO has expanded from 30 to 32 nations, more than doubling its border with Russia.
Finland, which joined last year, shares a 1,340-km (832-mile) eastern frontier with Russia. With Sweden’s membership, NATO could more effectively strike St Petersburg, Russia’s second biggest city, and Kaliningrad, the Baltic enclave where Russia has nuclear-capable Iskander missiles.
Sweden also has its own advanced high-tech defense industry, with its fighter planes, naval corvettes, and submarines designed to operate in the challenging environment of the Baltic Sea.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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