In one of the most extensive press appearances since the start of the Russian-Ukraine war, Russian President Vladimir Putin defended his invasion of Ukraine and the continuous escalation of tension with Western countries.
The most notable comment from the Russian leader during Thursday’s questioning came when he reportedly said the West should know, “Ahead is probably the most dangerous, unpredictable and, at the same time, important decade since the end of World War II.”
Thursday’s meeting was around three and a half hours and consisted of Putin and a group of Russian advisors and experts. During the talk, Putin answered a wide variety of topics, among them nuclear war, conservatism, and relations with China.
He once more labeled his invasion of Ukraine as a “special operation,” and asserted that the West’s attempts to intervene have been “dangerous, bloody, and dirty.”
As for the most high-tension topic on the table, nuclear weapons, Putin stated that the West had been the primary provocateur and claimed that they are using “nuclear blackmail.”
He added, “We don’t need a nuclear strike on Ukraine … There is no point, either military or political.”
However, Putin did reportedly claim that Ukraine had malicious intentions regarding a “dirty bomb,” or an improvised explosive device made with radioactive waste. The United States and others have dismissed these claims as false and without merit.
President Joe Biden, in an interview later Thursday, quipped that Putin’s claim of not using nuclear weapons was not trustworthy.
“If he has no intention, why does he keep talking about it? Why is he talking about the ability to use a tactical nuclear weapon?” Biden asked.
This week, Russia allegedly threatened to destroy U.S.-based satellites, such as Elon Musk’s Starlink systems. Starlink is used for communications in Ukraine, and the United States uses military satellites to capture the war from above. If Russia were to shoot down U.S. satellites, it could be seen as an act of war and a cause for escalation.
“The legal aspects of all this are really murky at the moment,” said Brian Weeden, a space policy analyst at the Secure World Foundation.
“I have always believed and believe in common sense so I am convinced that sooner or later the new centres of the multipolar world order and the West will have to start an equal conversation about the future we share – and the earlier the better,” Putin said.
During the meeting, Putin affirmed the need for further discussions with major world powers in the West.
