On Thursday, Russian leader Vladimir Putin cautioned Western nations about the potentiality of starting a nuclear conflict by deploying troops to Ukraine. He stated that Russia possesses the capability to launch attacks on targets in the Western world.

In his yearly speech to the nation, the Russian leader emphasized that the West must recognize that their nation possesses weapons capable of reaching targets on their own territory. He also expressed concern that this could spark a catastrophic nuclear conflict and lead to the downfall of civilization. The question remains: do they understand the severity of this situation?

Despite receiving significant military aid from its Western allies to combat the 2022 Russian invasion, Ukraine has not received any commitment of troops to fight alongside its forces.

Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that although there are currently no arrangements for Western troops to be deployed in Ukraine, the option is still open.

At a press conference, Macron stated that there is currently no agreement to deploy troops on the ground in an official and supported manner. However, he acknowledged that the situation is constantly evolving and anything is possible.

Many leaders from Europe and the United States opposed Macron’s proposal for troops. Ukraine is not included in NATO, the primary military alliance of the West, thus its Western allies have no obligation to protect it.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Europe’s course for future generations is currently being decided due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy addressed the issue of a leader imposing their will on other nations, citing past occurrences in the Balkans and eastern Europe. He specifically mentioned Putin’s desire to do the same during a summit of southeastern European leaders in Albania.

According to Zelenskyy, it is essential that Putin suffer defeat in the war as it is crucial for the protection of all democratic countries. He also stated that Putin’s failures pose a threat to our security.

During his address in Moscow, Putin declared that Russia’s “strategic nuclear arsenal is fully prepared.” He also mentioned that the modern hypersonic nuclear weapons he initially mentioned in 2018 were now either in use or in the final stages of development and testing.

Putin, clearly infuriated, implied that politicians from the West should remember the outcomes faced by leaders such as Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany and Napoleon Bonaparte of France, who had both attempted to invade Russia but were ultimately unsuccessful.

“But now the consequences will be far more tragic,” Putin said. “They think it (war) is a cartoon,” he said. He accused Western politicians of forgetting what an actual war meant because they had not faced the same security challenges as Russians had in the last three decades.

The leader of Russia announced that their troops currently hold the upper hand on the battlefield in Ukraine and have made progress against outnumbered Ukrainian forces.

He disregarded Western claims that Russia would move past Ukraine and launch attacks on other nations, deeming it as irrelevant.

According to Putin, Russia is willing to engage in talks about nuclear strategic stability with the U.S. However, he implied that Washington has little genuine interest in these discussions and is instead focused on making baseless accusations about Moscow’s intentions.

He stated that there has been a rising number of unverified claims made against Russia, such as the accusation that we are planning to place nuclear weapons in outer space. These suspicions seem to be a strategy to involve us in discussions based on their conditions, which ultimately benefit the United States.

Zelenskyy commended Belgium on their commitment to participating in a Czech-led effort to provide essential ammunition to the Ukrainian military on Wednesday.

The Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, announced that Belgium will be contributing $216 million towards the project.

The American Senate has passed a bill for $60 billion to provide aid to Ukraine, however there is a group of Republican representatives in the House who are against it. The House Speaker, Mike Johnson, has not brought it up for a vote in the entire chamber, even though it would likely be passed.

Agence France-Presse and Reuters provided certain details for this story.

Source: voanews.com