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Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow would consider using all weapons in its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, if Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad came under direct attack.
Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow on Thursday, Putin said Russia had no plans to attack any European country and wanted peaceful coexistence with Europe. However, he said Moscow would respond if Russia faced aggression.
“If it comes to a direct attack on the Russian Federation — in this case, we are referring to Kaliningrad and perhaps other territories — the question of using all the weapons at our country’s disposal will inevitably and immediately be on the agenda,” Putin said.
Kaliningrad is a strategically important Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, located between NATO members Poland and Lithuania. Tensions surrounding the territory have increased amid NATO military exercises in the Baltic region and Russian warnings over a possible blockade.
Putin said repeated military drills in the Baltic Sea, attempts to seize Russian vessels and statements concerning Kaliningrad were contributing to an escalation.
Moscow had previously warned NATO that it could use nuclear weapons if the alliance attempted to cut Kaliningrad off from the rest of Russia. NATO has described itself as a defensive alliance and rejected the suggestion that its exercises pose a threat to Kaliningrad.
Putin also warned that the world was going through a “dangerous moment” and said escalating international confrontations could eventually lead to the use of weapons capable of causing catastrophic destruction.
On the Ukraine war, Putin said Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries had affected the Russian economy, estimating that they had reduced Russia’s GDP by about 1%. He said Moscow was responding with its own strikes.