Putin warns of `all weapons` if Kaliningrad attacked

Russian President Vladimir Putin has cautioned that Moscow would contemplate using every weapon in its arsenal, potentially including nuclear arms, were Russia or its Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad to come under direct attack, while insisting that Russia harbours no intention of attacking any European country.

Speaking at the annual Valdai Discussion Club meeting in Moscow on Thursday, Putin asserted that any direct assault on Kaliningrad or other Russian territory would inevitably place the use of all available weapons on the agenda, even as he reiterated that Moscow wants peaceful coexistence with Europe. Kaliningrad, a heavily militarised exclave wedged between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, has become a focal point of mounting tension with the alliance. Moreover, Putin condemned recent NATO exercises in the Baltic Sea and what he described as attempts to intercept Russian vessels, branding such conduct an escalation. Although he conceded that NATO represents a far larger combined power, he claimed that Russia holds strategic advantages, pointing to the nuclear capabilities of Britain and France while asserting that Russian weaponry is unmatched elsewhere.

Furthermore, the Russian leader warned that the world was passing through a particularly perilous period, cautioning that continued escalation among major powers could eventually reach a point of no return. He added that there could be no guarantee that the most destructive weapons would never be used, and he urged all sides to avert such an outcome. His remarks followed a Russian diplomatic warning to NATO over the prospect of isolating Kaliningrad. Nevertheless, NATO has described itself as a defensive alliance, rejected the suggestion that its activities threaten the exclave and criticised Moscow's nuclear rhetoric.

Read More: Pakistan strikes Kunar and Helmand, claims 22 militants killed

Turning to the war in Ukraine, Putin accused Western countries of fuelling the conflict and claimed that Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure had trimmed Russia's GDP by about 1%. He said Moscow was answering those attacks with what he termed a comparable response. Nonetheless, he repeated that Russia does not plan to launch an attack on Europe and would react only if it faced aggression. Consequently, his statements come against a backdrop of heightened military and diplomatic friction between Russia and NATO over the Baltic region and the continuing war in Ukraine.