Putin's Masterplan For War With NATO Ready; 'Will Arm Countries To hit Western targets'
Putin said that Russia is considering an “asymmetric response” to any attack with Western weapons on Russian territory.
🇷🇺 Vladimir Putin:
"Russia will supply its long-range weapons to regions of the world, from where there will be sensitive attacks on countries supplying weapons to Ukraine."
I think Yemen is on top of the list, and has the best odds to sunk some aircraft carriers
Putin's Masterplan For War With NATO Ready; 'Will Arm Countries To hit Western targets'
6 Key Takeaways From Putin's St. Petersburg Appearance
COLD WAR 2.0: Putin Mulls Arming U.S. Foes, Considers Asymmetric Response to Attacks
JUN 06, 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared like his patience for the West’s support for Ukraine is wearing thin after top Western countries gave Kyiv the approval to use their weapons to attack targets inside Russia.
Putin attended the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, essentially Davos for BRICS, and spoke candidly about the Ukraine War and how it could unfold.
Here are 7 key takeaways:
COLD WAR 2.0: Anything the West can do, Russia can match.
Putin said he is considering considering providing weapons to countries at odds with the West. He said these weapons could be on par with the weapons the West provided Ukraine.
“If they consider it possible to deliver such weapons to the combat zone to launch strikes on our territory and create problems for us, why don’t we have the right to supply weapons of the same type to some regions of the world where they can be used to launch strikes on sensitive facilities of the countries that do it to Russia?” he said, according to Global News.
“We will think about it,” he said.
ASYMMETRIC RESPONSE: Putin said that Russia is considering an “asymmetric response” to any attack with Western weapons on Russian territory.
ZELENSKY’S FATE: Putin said he believes once Ukraine lowers the draft age to 18, the U.S. will “get rid of Zelensky.”
RUSSIA’S NUKES: He said the West is under the impression that Russia will never use its nuclear weapons.
“We have a nuclear doctrine, look what is written there. If someone's actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible to use all the means at our disposal,” he said. (See “AMERICANS DON’T KNOW HOW VULNERABLE WE ARE: EX-CIA ANALYST”)
NO WESTERN SUPPORT: Putin says the Ukraine War would end in two months if not for the West providing Ukraine with weapons.
NO DESIRE TO ATTACK NATO: Putin said Russia has no interest in attacking a NATO country.
"Don't form an image of Russia as an enemy. You have made up that Russia wants to attack NATO,” he told reporters. “Have you completely lost your mind? Who made that up? It's rubbish. It's absolute nonsense."
TRENDPOST: Putin said last month that he is willing to accept a ceasefire at current battlefield lines, but has the stamina and ability to fight in Ukraine for as long as it takes for the Kremlin to achieve its objectives, according to a Reuters report.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, told Reuters that Russia does not seek “eternal war.”
Putin said earlier this month that Moscow is still open for peace negotiations with Ukraine under the already-agreed-upon 2022 Istanbul deal, the so-called Istanbul Communiqué, that would end Kyiv’s aspiration to join NATO, which Russia considers an existential threat.
The West sent former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Ukraine shortly after the 2022 negotiations to dissuade Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from signing because negotiating with Putin is the equivalent of negotiating with a “crocodile that has already latched onto your leg.”
Putin also called the Istanbul Communiqué the basis for a negotiation process.
Zelensky has refused to negotiate despite major losses on the battlefield. Ukraine now relies on striking soft targets within Russia to prove to Western governments that it can still hurt Russia.
NATO has said that it is not interested in a direct clash with Moscow, but has been providing Ukraine with billions in weaponry and advanced missile systems to enable Kyiv to strike targets deep inside Russia.
Zelensky’s illegitimacy, NATO ‘bulls**t’ & Russia’s ‘asymmetric’ response: Key takeaways from Putin’s foreign press briefing
The Russian president has discusses how the Ukraine conflict began, and how it could end, with foreign media agencies
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting with heads of international news agencies at the Lakhta Centre in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 6, 2024 © Valentina Pevtsova / Sputnik
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered an overview of how he sees the Ukraine conflict’s roots and where the crisis may be headed, as well as the prospects of peace and rumors of a full-fledged war with NATO, as he spent over three hours answering a wide range of questions from representatives of international news agencies on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Wednesday.
Zelensky’s questionable legitimacy
Putin argued that the crisis stems from a US-backed coup d’etat that overthrew Kiev’s elected government in 2014. “Everyone believes that Russia started the war in Ukraine. But no one – I want to emphasize this – no one in the West, in Europe, wants to remember how this tragedy began. It began with a coup in Ukraine – an unconstitutional coup d’etat.”
READ MORE: Zelensky ‘seized power’ in Ukraine – Putin
Now Vladimir Zelensky’s legitimacy also came under question as according to Ukrainian laws his powers were supposed to be transferred to the country’s parliament after his term as president ended last month, Putin has argued. He suggested that Western backers may “tolerate” and keep Zelensky around long enough to force through more unpopular policies – like lowering the conscription age all the way down to 18 – then oust him, possibly as early as next spring. “They have several candidates to replace him.”
‘Bulls**t’ NATO claims
Asked about NATO’s preparations to defend against a possible Russian “invasion,” Putin suggested that Western governments are raising absurdly false fears to help maintain their global hegemony.
READ MORE: ‘Bulls**t’ – Putin on ‘plans’ to attack NATO
“Look, someone has imagined that Russia wants to attack NATO,” he said. “Have you gone completely insane? Are you as thick as this table? Who came up with this nonsense, this bulls**t?”
‘Asymmetric’ measures loom
Putin called out the US and other NATO members for supplying long-range missiles targeting deep into Russian territory. He warned that such escalations could backfire for the West as Moscow weighs its options.
READ MORE: Putin outlines Russian response to long-range strikes
“If someone deems it possible to supply such weapons to the war zone, to strike our territory…, why shouldn’t we supply similar weapons to those regions of the world where they will be used against sensitive sites of these countries?” Putin asked. “We can respond asymmetrically. We will give it a thought.”
How the conflict could end
The administration of US President Joe Biden could quickly stop the fighting in Ukraine by halting the flow of weapons to Kiev, Putin said. He told journalists that he received a letter from Biden regarding the crisis, and he replied by arguing that the bloodshed would stop within two to three months if munitions shipments are cut off.
Russian leaders have repeatedly claimed that Ukraine’s Western military backers are merely prolonging the conflict without changing its outcome.
US election offers little hope
Putin said Russia has no expectation of serious policy changes resulting from this year’s US presidential election. Even if Biden loses to Republican challenger Donald Trump, relations with Moscow will likely remain antagonistic. “Basically, we don’t care (who wins),” the Russian leader said.
READ MORE: US holds key to stopping Ukraine conflict – Putin
Biden’s administration is tearing down the US political system by using the courts to prosecute Trump, Putin added. “They are burning themselves from the inside.” In any case, he said, the new US administration would have to abandon Washington’s focus on “global liberalism” and hegemony – instead prioritizing the interests of the American people – to enable a major shift in foreign policy.
“No one is interested in Ukraine in the United States,” Putin said. “They are interested in the greatness of the United States. They are not fighting for Ukraine; they are fighting for their leadership in the world. They do not want Russia to be successful, to prevail, because they think it will be damaging for the leadership of the United States.”
Germany lost sovereignty
Putin also painted a bleak picture of Moscow’s relationship with Germany. Berlin’s supplying of tanks and missiles to Kiev has destroyed Russo-German relations, he said, and providing long-range weapons for strikes on Russian territory could lead to “very serious problems.”
Germany has allowed the US to devastate its economy by blowing up the Nord Stream natural-gas pipeline and imposing failed sanctions against Russia, Putin claimed. The US also controls the flow of information in Germany, he added. “No one is trying to protect German interests. Germany is not sovereign, but there are Germans, and someone has to think of their interests.”
These tidy and thorough updates are much appreciated.