Moscow is not attempting to intimidate other countries regarding the defense of Kaliningrad following Western threats against the Russian enclave on the Baltic coast, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday during his address at the plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club.
"We are not intimidating anyone. And what you just mentioned, the Foreign Ministry's statement and the letters sent to certain countries, does not constitute intimidation; it is a response to an attempt to intimidate us," he asserted.
The Russian leader addressed statements by Western politicians regarding preparations for a potential conflict with Russia in the 2029–2030 timeframe, military exercises by Western nations in the Baltic Sea, and attempts to detain Russian vessels, describing all these factors as an escalation.
"Then we began hearing statements regarding the Kaliningrad region. The Foreign Ministry's statement and the letters sent are entirely correct. If a direct attack on Russia were to occur, referring in this instance to Kaliningrad, or perhaps other territories as well, then, naturally, the question of Russia using all the weaponry at its disposal would inevitably and immediately arise. That is inevitable," he concluded.
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Russia would respond to “any action” threatening its sovereignty or targeting civilians in Kaliningrad, a senior Russian diplomat said Thursday amid heightened tensions between Moscow and NATO over the Russian exclave.
ReplyDelete“Any threat to the sovereignty or any targeted attack against the civilian population of the Russian Federation, including in Kaliningrad, should merit a response without limits when it comes to protecting our sovereignty and our population,” Rodion Miroshnik, ambassador-at-large at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Geneva.
“Any action that is threatening our sovereignty will be met with a rigid response,” he said at a meeting at the Russian Embassy.
Asked whether a blockade of Kaliningrad would be among such red lines, Miroshnik reiterated that “any action” against Russia's civilian population would be regarded as a threat to its sovereignty.
“Kaliningrad doesn't differ from any other region of the Russian Federation,” he said, adding that it “means the same protection as the rest of the country.”
The remarks came after Russia warned NATO that it could resort to nuclear weapons if the alliance attempted to cut off Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea between NATO members Poland and Lithuania.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that any direct attack on Russia or attempt to annex its exclave in the Kaliningrad region would inevitably raise the issue of using "all weapons and means at Moscow’s disposal."
ReplyDeleteHe stressed at the same time in a meeting of the Vladai Discussion Club in Moscow that Russia does not intend to attack anyone.
“If it comes to a direct attack on Russia, the issue of using all available weapons will inevitably arise,” he said.
“In the letter from the Russian Foreign Ministry on the protection of the Kaliningrad region, there is no mention of nuclear weapons; it speaks about Russia’s use of all means,” he noted.
Η Ρωσία θα εξέταζε το ενδεχόμενο χρήσης «κάθε είδους όπλων» εάν δεχόταν επίθεση ο θύλακας του Καλίνινγκραντ, δήλωσε ο Ρώσος πρόεδρος, επιμένοντας παράλληλα ότι η Μόσχα «δεν έχει καμία πρόθεση να επιτεθεί σε κανέναν».
ReplyDelete«Εάν υπάρξει άμεση επίθεση κατά της Ρωσικής Ομοσπονδίας… τότε, φυσικά, το ζήτημα της χρήσης από τη Ρωσική Ομοσπονδία κάθε είδους όπλων που διαθέτει η χώρα μας θα τεθεί αναπόφευκτα και άμεσα επί τάπητος. Αυτό είναι αναπόφευκτο», είπε ο Πούτιν.