Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Western countries against sending their troops to Ukraine. During an annual address to the nation two weeks before the presidential election, Putin threatened a “real” war and said that the claims regarding Russia’s attack on Europe are nonsense, but they might face Western countries with nuclear weapons.
Putin’s statements come after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that the chances of sending troops to Ukraine “cannot be ruled out.”
The Russian president also said that Russia now needs to improve its defense at the western border, as Sweden and Finland have also joined NATO.
As per a report from The Guardian, Putin stated,
There has been talk about the possibility of sending Nato military contingents to Ukraine. [Western nations] must understand that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory. All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization.
Don’t they get that? We remember the fate of those who once sent their contingents to the territory of our country. Now the consequences for possible interventionists will be much more tragic.
The president’s address to the nation lasted for over two hours. The country’s media predicts that Putin will be victorious for the fifth time and win one-sidedly in the voting, scheduled to be held on March 17, 2024.
He did not fail to address the achievements of the Russian military amid the Russian-Ukraine war. The United States has condemned the president’s remarks on the possibility of a nuclear war. The BBC reported that US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Vladimir Putin has shown such irresponsible behavior in the past as well. He said,
It is no way for the leader of a nuclear-armed state to speak.
