Ukraine war: Putin warns against foreign intervention
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that any country attempting to engage in the Ukraine conflict will be met with a “lightning-quick” response.
“We have all the instruments that no one else has. We will use them if required,” he warned, implying ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.
Ukraine’s allies have increased military supplies, with the US vowing to ensure Ukraine’s victory over Russia.
Russian attempts in the east, according to Western diplomats, are impeded.
Following its withdrawal from areas around Kyiv, Russia started a strong operation last week to retake the Donbas region.
In other news, the European Commission has accused Russia of blackmailing Poland and Bulgaria by cutting off gas exports.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, stated that the incident demonstrated Russia’s “unreliability” as a supplier.
The Kremlin claimed that “unfriendly acts” taken by Western countries had obliged Russia to intervene.
Gazprom’s cutoff comes after Poland and Bulgaria refused to pay for gas in Russian roubles, a demand made by Russian President Vladimir Putin in March in order to support the country’s struggling currency, which has been pummelling by Western sanctions.
On Wednesday, Mr Putin made his remarks to Russian MPs in the northern city of St. Petersburg.
According to the Russian leader, who did not provide any additional information, all decisions on what that response would contain have already been made.
On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine, and President Putin ordered his military to put Russia’s nuclear deterrence forces on high alert within days.
According to analysts, Mr Putin’s threats are an attempt to warn Ukraine’s friends not to intervene further in the crisis.
President Putin spoke a day after Western leaders met in Germany to pledge more military backing for Ukraine.
Lloyd Austin, the US Defense Secretary, promised to move “heaven and earth” to ensure Ukraine’s victory in the conflict.
A growing number of commitments to enhance military support for Ukraine have been made recently, notably Germany’s announcement that it will supply 50 anti-aircraft tanks, marking a significant strategic shift.
