Vladimir Putin has warned that World War Three could erupt if the West continues ‘escalating the situation’ in his latest existential threat over the war in Ukraine.
The Russian dictator accused the West of antagonising the conflict but stopped short of saying World War Three was already underway.
‘You know, there is no need to scare anyone,’ he told a state TV reporter, caveating, ‘there are many dangers – they are increasing’.
‘And we see what our enemy is doing today, escalating the situation. If they want to, let them live badly, let them escalate further.
‘We will always respond to any challenge, always,’ he said.
Putin glossed over his role in escalating conflict in Europe with the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, instead boasting of his personal role in the ‘historic’ development of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile.
Last week, Putin went so far as to challenge the West to a ‘high tech missile duel’, suggesting he could warn of an attack with the experimental new weapon to see if Ukraine’s allies can ‘stop it in time’.
Speaking on the Russia-1 television channel, he urged compromise from Western leaders, asserting: ‘We are ready to look for these compromises, but without prejudice to our interests.’
Speaking on Russia-1, Putin warned that World War Three could still erupt
He remained defiant in the face of what he called Western ‘escalation’
Ukrainian Ground Forces fire with a Leopard 2A4 tank during a field training at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, October 27
Putin has inflamed his rhetoric warning of a potential global war in response to the West’s support for Ukraine.
Last week, he accused the West of pushing Russia to its ‘red lines’ and threatened to lift all voluntary restrictions on the deployment of his short and medium-range missiles if the US went ahead and deployed similar weapons.
Putin, who said Russian forces in Ukraine has taken control of 189 settlements so far this year, said Russia’s nuclear weapons were there for deterrence.
Nikolai Sokov, a former Soviet and Russian diplomat, said at the time the ‘red line’ was intended as a ‘very clear message’: ‘Don’t make a mistake – all these kind of things may mean nuclear war.’
‘I’m really concerned about all the loose talk,’ he said, with actors in Ukraine dismissing the threats as a bluff.
‘We run head-on into a situation which is completely unfamiliar to us … If you do not factor in the risks, you are likely to have a very unpleasant surprise.’
Putin remains defiant that the so-called ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine has not been in error, even saying last week that he should have acted earlier.
‘Knowing what’s happening now, back in 2022 I would’ve thought the decision ought to have been taken earlier,’ he told an end-of-year press conference on Thursday.
‘We ought to have started getting ready for those developments, and the special military operation, before.’
A major Russian ammunition depot goes up in flames in Rostov region after Ukrainian strike
British Army soldiers take part in training near Rovaniemi in the Arctic Circle on November 19
Chilling images show Vladimir Putin’s new Oreshnik hypersonic super-weapon attacking a defence plant in Dnipro, Ukraine on 21 November
The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg bravely pressed Putin on whether he had succeeded in his goals as president, noting that the war has brought NATO closer to Russia’s borders with the accession of Finland and Sweden.
Putin said resolutely that Moscow has ‘moved away from the brink of the abyss’ and was going to lose ‘sovereignty’ before he assumed power.
He added that Russia was ready to work with Britain if they were willing.
After championing his own role as President, Putin told Russia-1 that the Oreshnik missile he tested in Dnipro last month was a ‘historic event in the rocket and space field’.
‘Nothing like this has ever happened before. This is the first time it’s happened with this type of weapon,’ he said.
‘How deep [was I involved]? Yeah, pretty deep.’
He revealed a split in his defence ministry over developing super weapon Oreshnik.
‘In the end, I joined those who thought it should be produced and gave direct orders to do so, to allocate the necessary resources,’ he said.
Rescue workers respond at the site of a Russian ballistic missile fragments’ falling in the city’s Holosiivskyi district on December 20, 2024 in Kyiv
Ukrainian servicemen of the 33rd brigade operate a Leopard battle tank in the direction of Kurahove, Ukraine as Russia-Ukraine war continues on December 19
Ukrainian soldiers fire 2s1 artillery in the direction of Kreminna, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on November 30
‘And agreed with those who thought it was time to test it under combat conditions.
‘So, well, of course, that’s part of my job.’
Putin spoke as a large Russian ammunition depot exploded in Rostov region following a Ukrainian drone strike.
The facility was close to Russian-occupied Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Putin is facing rising numbers of his people who want his war to end.
A new survey for state-controlled pollsters VTsIOM shows that if Russians were to write to Father Christmas with one wish, 42 per cent women would ask for the war to end.
For men the figure is 31 per cent.
The wishes for an end to the conflict were more than for other desires.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
