Putin at the Valdai forum: the world is going through a dangerous moment, warns the West over Kaliningrad

Speaking at the international “Valdai” forum of Russian experts in Moscow, the Russian president warned directly: “If it comes to a direct attack on the Russian Federation — in this case we are talking about Kaliningrad, and perhaps other territories as well — the question of the Russian Federation deploying all the weapons at our country’s disposal will, of course, inevitably and immediately be on the agenda. This is inevitable.”

The comments, as Reuters reports, come after a Russian diplomatic note which NATO said it received this week, warning that Moscow would be ready to use nuclear weapons if the alliance attempted to isolate Kaliningrad. Secretary General Mark Rutte responded that NATO is a defensive alliance and that nuclear threats do not help.

Putin said Russia had no choice but to launch the war in Ukraine to protect its security, stressing that Moscow has no plans to attack any European country and wants to coexist in peace. He acknowledged that France and Britain are nuclear powers, but added: “No one else possesses the kind of weapons Russia has today. That is our competitive advantage.”

The Russian leader also dwelled on the risk of escalation: “We must understand that the moment when nothing can be changed anymore may come very quickly and unexpectedly for everyone… This is a road toward the edge of the abyss.”

He expressed readiness for a trilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, if a proper agenda is drawn up. Meanwhile, Putin ruled out halting Russian strikes on Ukrainian targets in the Black Sea area, but acknowledged that Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries in Russia have cost his country 1% of GDP, and said Moscow is not planning “tomorrow” to attack arms factories in Europe that supply Ukraine.