Vladimir Putin has issued fresh warnings to the West, accusing it of pushing Russia over its “red lines” – situations he has publicly made clear he will not tolerate – while saying Moscow is being forced to respond.
The Russian president, as reported by Reuters, during a meeting of the Defense Ministry’s council, emphasized that Russia is watching carefully and with concern the plans to develop short- and medium-range missiles from the West. “The US,” he said, “is encouraging an escalation in Ukraine by sending weapons and other aid there. If they go ahead with developing such missiles we will lift our own voluntary restrictions on missile development.”
“The US is encouraging escalation in Ukraine by sending weapons and other aid there,” Putin argued, adding that Russia would lift all of its own voluntary restrictions on the development of its own missiles if the US went ahead with developing such missiles.
“We start mass production of Oreshnik”
Putin also stressed that “mass production of Oreshnik missiles will begin soon.” This is the hypersonic ballistic missile that Moscow has already used against Ukraine. Russia’s “invisible” missile has caused alarm, as it is a weapon that cannot be countered by the anti-missile systems of Ukraine and most countries. The Oreshnik strike was limited as it did not carry high explosives, but it was a show of strength by Moscow of its arsenal’s capabilities.
Nuclear deterrence
The Russian president, who said Russian forces in Ukraine have taken 189 settlements under their control so far this year, said Russia’s nuclear weapons are there to deter.
“We will continue to maintain the capabilities of our strategic nuclear arsenal. We are not threatening with nuclear weapons, it is a policy of deterrence,” he argued.
However, he added that “Russia will not allow itself to be led into a generalized arms race at the expense of its social and economic situation.”
“We will ensure victory in 2025”
For his part, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belusov said that “we must ensure victory in the “special military operation” (war in Ukraine) in 2025.” Russian troops have driven Ukrainian forces from nearly 4,500 square kilometers (1,737 square miles) of territory this year and are advancing an average of 30 square kilometers (11.5 square miles) a day, the defense minister said.
Russian military spending reached 6.3% of GDP, he said at a meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry’s council. During the “special military operation”, the Ukrainian army lost about 1 million people he claimed. During the “Kursk adventure”, Ukraine’s losses amounted to 40 thousand soldiers, he said.
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