Putin Denies Accusations of Threatening to Attack NATO and Nuclear Blackmail
Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with heads of world news agencies at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), rejected accusations that Russia is threatening the West with nuclear weapons and planning an attack on NATO.
Reaction to the allegations
During the meeting, Putin sharply commented on allegations of a possible Russian attack on NATO:
"Here they are making up that Russia wants to attack NATO. Are you completely mad or what? Dumb as this table. Who invented this? This is nonsense, bullshit."
Putin added that such statements are aimed at fooling the Western public and maintaining the imperial position of Western countries. He emphasised that Russia will continue to defend its interests, which the international community will have to reckon with.
Nuclear weapons and defence of interests
The Russian president also urged not to bring the situation to the point of threatening to use nuclear weapons, noting that Moscow has been unfoundedly accused of ‘waving a nuclear baton.’
‘Russia not only talks about defending its interests, but does so and will do so,’ Putin said.
On 18 March, discussing a potential conflict with NATO, Putin noted that no one is interested in a third world war.
NATO preparations and opinions of Western leaders
On 4 June, The Telegraph newspaper reported that NATO is developing a plan to move troops and armoured vehicles from the United States to Europe in case of a direct armed clash with Russia. Earlier, Admiral Tony Radakin, head of the UK Armed Forces Defence Staff, ruled out the possibility of a war between Russia and NATO, saying that such action would have devastating consequences for the entire world. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a similar point.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, however, urged Germans to prepare for a possible war by 2029. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said relations between Russia and NATO have reached the level of direct confrontation, calling the alliance a factor of destabilisation in Europe.
Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev believes that the conflict with the West is developing under the most unfavourable scenario.
Enemy image and relations with the US
Putin urged the West not to form an enemy image of Russia:
"You should not invent anything and form an opinion about Russia based on these inventions. Don't form an image of Russia as an enemy. You are only hurting yourselves with this."
He emphasised that Russia has no imperial ambitions and noted that the country has more friends than enemies.
Commenting on relations with the United States, Putin expressed hope that Washington's policy would change after the election if the U.S. is guided by national interests. However, he noted that he does not expect significant changes even if Republican Party candidate Donald Trump comes to power.
"The US is making mistake after mistake in international, domestic and economic policy. The aspiration to be the leader of global liberalism is destroying the United States from within,’ Putin emphasised.
These statements by the Russian president reflect his stance on international relations and the West's domestic policies, emphasising the need to protect Russian interests amid global instability.
From information sent by an anonymous source
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