Putin says Russia could consider all weapons after attack on Kaliningrad

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Valdai Forum in Moscow that Russia could consider using all the weapons at its disposal if Kaliningrad came under a direct attack. While arguing that Russia had no plans to attack European countries, Putin warned that escalation in the war in Ukraine could lead to irreversible consequences.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a direct attack on Kaliningrad would put all of Russia’s weapons options on the table, and called on the West not to escalate tensions over Ukraine at the Valdai Forum in Moscow. Putin said threats against Russia’s territory on the Baltic Sea coast should be avoided.

Putin said this option would immediately be considered if Kaliningrad, located between Poland and Lithuania, came under attack, describing it as an inevitable consequence. The Russian leader also reiterated that Russia could resort to nuclear weapons if necessary.

Moscow signals it has no plans to attack Europe

Putin argued that Russia had been forced to launch the war in Ukraine to protect its security. Saying that Russia had no plans to attack any European country, Putin said Moscow wanted to live in peace with European countries.

Putin said Russia was facing an adversary half the size of NATO and would have to use its military advantages. He said Russia knew that France and the United Kingdom were nuclear powers, and argued that no other country possessed the weapons held by Russia.

Putin at the Valdai Club plenary session (archive)

Putin signals nuclear response over Kaliningrad

Before Putin’s speech at the Valdai Forum, Russia sent NATO a diplomatic note saying it was ready to respond with nuclear weapons to any attempt to cut off Kaliningrad. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance was defensive in nature and that nuclear threats were not useful.

Kaliningrad is a heavily militarized Russian region located on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania. Russia argues that the threat posed by NATO to Kaliningrad is growing. European governments accuse Moscow of escalating hybrid warfare on the continent through acts such as sabotage and arson, while Russia denies the accusations.

Putin warns of an irreversible threshold

The Russian leader said that escalating cycles of retaliation in international conflicts could produce dangerous consequences in a short time. Putin said the point of no return could emerge unexpectedly quickly for everyone, adding that overconfidence and arrogance were pushing tensions to the brink.

Kaliningrad city center (archive)

Putin said the arsenals of the world’s leading powers contained weapons capable of destroying all life or affecting Earth on a catastrophic scale, and said it could not be guaranteed that these weapons would never be used. Putin stressed that such an outcome had to be prevented.

Conditional readiness for a trilateral meeting

Putin said he was ready for a trilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, provided that an appropriate agenda was agreed in advance. At the same time, he rejected a proposal to halt Russian attacks against targets in Ukraine in the Black Sea region.

Putin said attacks by Ukraine on oil refineries across Russia had cost Russia 1% of its gross domestic product, and said Moscow had responded to the attacks. Describing Western assistance to Ukraine for long-range strikes deep inside Russia as a future threat, Putin said Russia nevertheless had no immediate plans to attack factories in Europe supplying weapons to Ukraine.

Putin said the Russian Foreign Ministry’s letter concerning the protection of Kaliningrad did not directly refer to the use of nuclear weapons, but indicated that Russia could use all the means at its disposal in the event of a direct attack. “Russia will not attack anyone in 2029, 2030 or 2050,” Putin said, listing military exercises conducted by Western countries in the Baltic Sea and attempts to detain Russian ships among the factors increasing tensions.