Putin Blusters Before National Elections, Threatens To Nuke West Over Ukraine

The Russian President once again warns the West of potential nuclear conflict if they interfere in his invasion of Ukraine, but also expresses belief that the United States will show restraint.

In a pre-election interview with Russian television, Vladimir Putin, who is seeking a fifth term in office, reiterated his readiness to use nuclear weapons but noted that global escalation towards this scenario had not occurred.

The upcoming election has been criticized as lacking fairness and freedom by Western observers.

Warning Russian military doctrine absolutely called for nuclear retaliation if the Russian government, the nation’s sovereignty or independence were threatened, Putin told the broadcaster that “we are ready for this… from the military, technical viewpoint, we are prepared”.

https://twitter.com/BreitbartLondon/status/1766456592914936248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Referring to French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments on the potential deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine, which he has reaffirmed despite criticism from other alliance leaders, Russian President Putin warned that countries with no red lines against Russia should be prepared for Russia having none either.

Putin also joked about not using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine yet due to a lack of necessity, specifically alluding to Western military presence in the region.

While Putin is expected to secure another term in office this week, he tempered his aggressive rhetoric by stating that he would not resort to nuclear weapons if Western nations complied with his demands.

He emphasized his expectation for NATO countries to keep their troops out of Ukraine and expressed willingness to engage in negotiations with the West about the country’s future, albeit under conditions he deems as “realistic”.

However, these negotiations face significant challenges as they would have to address Russia’s assertion that Ukrainian territories it controls are now part of Russia, a claim rejected by Kyiv and its allies, making prospects for meaningful dialogue slim.

https://twitter.com/BreitbartLondon/status/1763663751331660277?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

This marks the second time in two weeks that Putin has personally issued a nuclear threat. In a recent speech in late February, the President cautioned of grave repercussions if NATO increased its presence in Ukraine, underscoring the complete preparedness of his nuclear weapons arsenal.

He said of Western leaders: “Don’t they understand it? … Those people haven’t been through any tough challenges and they have forgotten what war means.”

Putin was more obliging about the state of the Western leadership today, however, telling President Biden that he’s too smart to trigger a nuclear war. There are enough experts in the U.S., he said, who understand “Russian-American relations and strategic restraint”, meaning “I don’t think that everything is going to go head-on here, but we are ready for it”.

It is somewhat uncommon for the Russian President to make frequent nuclear threats, as this responsibility is typically delegated to individuals such as Foreign Minister Lavrov, spokesman Peskov, or former President Dmitry Medvedev.

Medvedev, in particular, has gained a reputation for his continuous threats of nuclear armageddon in recent years. In a notable incident, Medvedev even went as far as threatening to detonate a bomb on the International Criminal Court in the Hague following an arrest warrant issued for Vladimir Putin.

ICYMI: Hur’s Report Shows Deeper Problems for Biden than Originally Thought