Although Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that there is an increasing likelihood of a nuclear war, he insisted that Moscow has not “gone mad” and would not use its arsenal first.
After Putin stated that Russia would only use an atomic weapon in response to an enemy strike on Wednesday, the United States was quick to condemn what it referred to as “loose talk” regarding nuclear weapons.
US State Office Representative Ned Cost told correspondents: “We think any loose talk of nuclear weapons is absolutely irresponsible.”
The US has recently cautioned Moscow about the utilization of atomic weapons following a not at all subtle atomic danger by Putin in September.
Putin declared that the Russian people would “defend ourselves with all the means at our disposal” during a televised meeting of his human rights council on Wednesday.
The most recent in a string of such warnings, he stated that Russia saw its arsenal as a means of retaliation rather than first strike, and that the risk of nuclear war was increasing.
Putin stated, “We haven’t gone mad, we know what nuclear weapons are.”
“We have these means in more advanced and modern form than any other nuclear country … But we aren’t about to run around the world brandishing this weapon like a razor,” the statement reads.
The council, which Putin attends every year, is criticized for allowing him, according to critics, to pretend to support civic freedoms while intensifying repression and suppressing opposition.
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War in Ukraine could be “long”
Putin said that Russian forces could fight in Ukraine for a long time, but he didn’t think it made “sense” to raise more troops right now.
Using his preferred term for Russia’s invasion, which began toward the end of February, Putin stated, “As for the duration of the special military operation, well, of course, this can be a long process.”
After a call-up of at least 300,000 reservists in September and October, he stated that there was no need for a second mobilization.
According to Putin, 150,000 of these were used in Ukraine: 77,000 are in combat units and the remaining 7,000 are in defensive roles. The remaining 150,000 were still enrolled in training facilities.
He stated, “Under these conditions, talk about any additional mobilisation measures simply makes no sense.”
Despite the fact that he boasted in July that Russia was only just getting started, Putin has rarely discussed the probable duration of the war.
Despite Russia’s significant retreats since then, Putin has stated that he has no regrets about starting the war, which was Europe’s most devastating since World War Two.
EU Sanctions on Russia
In a statement, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Russia “continues to bring death and devastation to Ukraine and is deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, seeking to paralyse the country at the beginning of the winterl.”
She went on to say that the eight packages of EU sanctions that had been implemented up to this point were already having a significant impact, and that the group wanted to use a ninth package to put more pressure on Russia.
On October 5, the eighth package was approved.
Von der Leyen stated that the Russian armed forces, individual officers, members of the State Duma and Federation Council of the Russian parliament, ministers, governors, and political parties were among the new individuals and entities proposed for the sanctions list.
The Commission stated that it also aimed to restrict the Kremlin’s access to unmanned aerial vehicles and drones, as well as to prohibit the direct export of drone engine to Russia and any third country, such as Iran, that could supply Moscow with drones.