In the event that the West escalates the crisis in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin issued a “real” threat of nuclear war on Thursday.
The Russian president declared in a bold speech in Moscow that his troops were making progress in Ukraine and threatened the West with “tragic consequences” if any nation dared to commit troops to Kyiv.
“They have announced the possibility of sending Western military contingents to Ukraine… The consequences for possible interventionists will be much more tragic,” Putin said in his annual address to the nation.
“They should eventually realise that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory. Everything that the West comes up with creates the real threat of a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons, and thus the destruction of civilisation,” said Putin.
His remarks seemed to be a reaction to French President Emmanuel Macron’s earlier this week denial that deploying soldiers to Ukraine was an option, a denial that prompted criticism from European politicians.
Since Moscow began its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine, Western officials have frequently criticized Putin for what they see to be his reckless use of nuclear rhetoric.
After pulling Russia out of arms control treaties with the United States and previously warning he was “not bluffing” when he said he was ready to use nuclear weapons, Putin had appeared in recent months to dial down his nuclear threats.
However, the new warning comes before of an election that is sure to prolong his term in the Kremlin until 2030, and with the Kremlin feeling emboldened by recent victories in the Ukrainian war, an economy that has largely escaped sanctions, and evidence that Western support for Ukraine is waning.
