Russia “has no intention of attacking anyone, neither in 2029, nor in 2030, nor in 2050.” President Vladimir Putin said this in response to a question during the annual conference of the Valdai Club. Putin also denounced as a sign of “escalation” by some European countries their repeated statements that they are preparing for a war with Russia by the end of the decade.
The Russian president described Western military exercises in the Baltic Sea and attempts to stop Russian ships as an “escalation.” «The exercises in the Baltic Sea, one after another, and the attempts to stop our ships and boats – all this represents the escalation I talked about in my speech. This is all an escalation.”
“If attacked, Moscow will respond with all means at its disposal”
In the event of a direct attack on Russian territory, Moscow will respond – Putin reiterated – “with all the means at its disposal”, underlining that this does not automatically mean the use of nuclear weapons. The letter sent to NATO in recent days regarding the response to a possible threat to the Kaliningrad exclave, “is not a threat, but a response to an attempt to threaten Russia”.