Putin: Western Countries ‘Powerless’ Before Unity of Russian People

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that countries in the so-called collective West found themselves powerless in the face of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and the unity of the Russian people, Putin added.

Some Western elites do not want such a tremendous country as Russia beside them and seek to divide it, Putin said.

At the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, Western countries were happy and believed they would be capable of ending Russia through sanctions, weapons and Ukrainian nationalists, Putin said.

“This is where that slogan came from – to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield. However, the realization later came that this was unlikely, and even later, that it was impossible,” Putin said. “And the understanding came that instead of a strategic defeat; they were confronted with the powerlessness they faced. They were faced with powerlessness before the unity of the Russian people, before the fundamental foundations and stability of the Russian financial and economic system, and before the growing capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.”

Putin Says Need to Use Tactical Nuclear Weapons Never Arose in Ukraine

“There has not yet been any need to use tactical nuclear weapons as part of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine”, Russian President Vladimir Putin also said in an interview with Dmitry Kiselev, the director general of Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik’s parent media group.

“Why should we use weapons of mass destruction? There has never been such a need,” Putin said.

When asked whether such an idea ever occurred to him, Putin replied, “No, but why?”

Russia is prepared to use nuclear weapons if the existence of the Russian state is threatened, Putin said. Russia’s nuclear triad is more advanced than that of any other country, Putin also said.

“From the military and technical point of view, we are, of course, ready,” Putin said.

The Russian president added that his US counterpart, Joe Biden, is part of a “traditional school of politics” and also that the US has many other experts in the Russia-US relationship and strategic deterrence.

“That is why I do not think that everything is rushing head-on [in that direction], but we are ready for this,” Putin said.

Russian also noted the United States is developing nuclear forces, but it does not mean that they are ready to unleash a nuclear war tomorrow.

Source: Sputnik

Raghda Sawas