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.”
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.
I think the prefix “illegal” is not needed before invasion…
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.
Wtf ? Is there an example of UN-Council authorized invasions?
Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan?
“Vladimir Putin says…”
Aaand my brain switches off. Another red line.
Again? Wouldn’t that be like the fifth War NATO would enter with Russia, according to Putin?
So many red lines crossed its starting to look like a red carpet.
Oh no, NATO is on the brink of starting World War VIII!
Oh no…anyway
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Another bluff. Also, we can just call it “special military operations”.
Also, NATO includes Canada. Not just the US and European countries, like the article says.
Somebody fucking call their bluff already
They’ve been calling it for basically the last whole war.
In fact, it’s been done pretty masterfully by not making one huge step, but small steps where no single one would force him to do something, but just over time each small step eventually gets to the point where he said he would have to do something…and hasn’t.
his own game
They can’t even handle Ukraine lol, can you imagine NATO?
Russia have repeatedly admitted it has no chance of beating Nato. Hence the nuclear escalation is the only matter to discuss. A beated nation will press all the buttons.
Lol. Ok. Let’s see what little Vlad Puta calls “war”. What a scared little removed he is.
They’ve been launching cyber attacks at USA for years. Are they not at war yet?
This is exactly the point. They are already at full throttle war with the West. The only further escalation they could make would be nukes, which would be their end, NATO can take out all of Russias nuclear capacity and win the war in Ukraine all with conventional weapons.
Touch the boats. Seriously. Try it. See what happens.
Ok well I guess we’re all going to be affected. I propose that blender thing for putin when they get him out of the smokey hole.
Fucking bring it
Let Ukraine use slightly longer range weapons than anything they can prove has been fired by Russia. Every escalation by Russia is permission to use the next tier of missiles to wipe them out.
Just let Ukraine use all the conventional weapons.
Anyone who has played the ‘Risk’ board game has an idea what the next moves should be.
Risk didn’t properly account for Russia’s nukes being parted out for the last 50 years by black-market scalpers.
They almost certainly lack sufficient unadulterated fuel, complete/functional nav systems, accurate arming systems or reliable detonation systems.
So they should conquer the entirety of Asia in one turn, to get an extra 7 units per turn in order to afford their war with Europe?
Putin is only 5’6".
If he was a man, he would be a manlet.
But he is an orc, 5’6" is pretty tall for an orc.
“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.
Which is described in Ur-Fascism by Umberto Eco. It’s part of the fascist rethoric.