Vladimir Putin has said that a western move to let Kyiv use longer-range weapons against targets inside Russia would mean Nato would be “at war” with Moscow.
Putin spoke as US and UK top diplomats discussed easing rules on firing western weapons into Russia, which Kyiv has been pressing for, more than two and a half years into Moscow’s offensive.
“This would in a significant way change the very nature of the conflict,” Putin told a state television reporter.
“It would mean that Nato countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia,” he added. “If that’s the case, then taking into account the change of nature of the conflict, we will take the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face.”
“It would mean that Nato countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia,” he added. “If that’s the case, then taking into account the change of nature of the conflict, we will take the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face.”
Assuming that the implication here isn’t that the appropriate decision would be “Russia’s gonna pull out of Ukraine”, and it’s more “Russia is gonna use nuclear weapons”, I expect that it can be added to this list:
https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/a-timeline-of-russias-nuclear-threats-against-the-west-947
A Timeline of Russia’s Nuclear Threats Against the West
I believe that that would be entry #96.
I’d also add that during the very first statement Putin made announcing the invasion, on February 24, 2022, he ended it with what I imagine was intended to be interpreted as a nuclear threat:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_conducting_a_special_military_operation
“On conducting a special military operation” (Russian: О проведении специальной военной операции, romanized: O provedenii spetsialʹnoy voyennoy operatsii) was a televised broadcast by Russian president Vladimir Putin on 24 February 2022, announcing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Warning against international intervention
At the end of the address, Putin warned other countries against intervening in the conflict, saying:
Whoever tries to interfere with us, and even more so to create threats for our country, for our people, should know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences that you have never experienced in your history. We are ready for any development of events. All necessary decisions in this regard have been made. I hope that I have been heard.[12][10][13]
I don’t have a unified timeline of everyone’s activity, but we authorized military aid the next day, so I don’t think that the statement had a very extensive deterrent effect.
https://www.defense.gov/Spotlights/Support-for-Ukraine/Timeline/
Feb. 25, 2022
U.S. Air Force Gen. Tod D. Wolters, commander, U.S. European Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe announces the activation of the NATO Response Force.
The Biden administration authorizes $350 million in military assistance from Defense Department inventories.
NATO: staying in Ukraine would put Russia ‘at war’ with NATO.
Considering your army can’t take Ukraine, this really a fight you want to pick?
God, it really is the Russian religion that they’re the only strong ones and everyone else is just so spoiled and weak, as your oligarchs tell you, from their mega yachts.
They are both perpetual victims and the strongest kid on the playground at the same time.
Russian cultural paranoia.
They cannot consider themselves safe unless they have a ‘perimeter’ around Russia.
The thing is: that needed perimeter is always growing, eventually your country becomes part of it, ask Poland and later east Germany, Afghanistan, and eventually, your country.
Too late, they already used GLMRS in the Kursk region. Guess we’re “at war” now. I’d argue that’s a laughable position for him to take given Russian agents have been sabotaging European infrastructure all over the place since Feb 22. Letting Ukraine defend itself shouldn’t be controversial.
Wait a seconds. Haven’t they said that they are at war with NATO at least since the started the full invasion?
Well Putin, if you don’t want a war with NATO, you could always do the responsible thing and get the fuck out of Ukraine and stop launching illegal invasions of your neighbors.
Chapter VII of the UN Charter, I.E. internationally agreed upon law by UN signatories, which Russia as a sitting member of the security council should be obliged to obey, states use of force against another country, especially other members of the UN is prohibited except in cases of self-defense or by authorization of UN Council.
So no, every invasion is not inherently illegal. That’s only explicitly true when you talk about Russia, because like every authoritarian power they only care about rules when they benefit them.
