Putin says Russia will use all weapons, including nuclear, if attacked

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President Vladimir Putin said Russia will be ready to use all weapons at its disposal, including nuclear arms, in response to an attack by the West. He made the remarks at the Valdai Discussion Club, responding to a warning to NATO over a possible blockade of the Kaliningrad Region. Putin said the warning was correctly worded and that a direct attack would inevitably raise the issue of using all available forces.
Key Facts
- Putin said Russia will be ready to use all weapons at its disposal, including nuclear arms, in response to an attack by the West.
- He made the remarks at the Valdai Discussion Club in response to a warning issued to NATO over a possible blockade of the Kaliningrad Region.
- Putin said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated the alliance's European member states have a population of 300 million.
- Putin warned that the moment when nothing can be changed anymore could come quickly and unexpectedly.
Nuclear Warning
Putin said Russia will be ready to use all weapons at its disposal, including nuclear arms, in response to an attack by the West. He made the remarks at the Valdai Discussion Club, responding to a warning issued to NATO over a possible attempt to blockade the Kaliningrad Region. Putin said the warning was correctly worded and that a direct attack on the Russian Federation would inevitably and immediately raise the issue of using all available weapons. He noted that France and the United Kingdom are nuclear powers, but no one has the kinds of weapons that Russia possesses today.
NATO Confrontation
Putin cited NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's statement that the alliance's European member states have a population of 300 million. He said Russia will inevitably have to raise the issue of using all forces and means at its disposal, facing an opponent twice its size. Putin said Russia intends to use its competitive advantages in confronting the West. He warned that the moment when nothing can be changed anymore could come quickly and unexpectedly.
Escalation Logic
Putin referred to statements by Western politicians who insist that preparations should be made for a war with Russia by 2029–30. He said it is not Russia setting these timelines, but the other side, repeatedly. Putin cited concrete actions such as exercises in the Baltic Sea one after another and attempts to detain Russian ships and vessels as escalation. He said the logic of increasingly harsh reciprocal responses leads to fatal irreversibility, and therefore nothing can be ruled out.