Putin warned NATO members in his annual State of the Nation address that sending soldiers to fight in Ukraine may spark a nuclear war, further increasing his threats against the United States and Europe.
The Russian president referred to Emmanuel Macron’s remarks earlier this week when he suggested the possibility of sending ground soldiers from Europe to Ukraine. He warned that such a move would have “tragic” outcomes for the countries involved.
Germany and the UK were among the Western nations that denied having any plans to send troops to Ukraine in response to President Macron’s earlier remarks this week in which he refused to rule out the possibility. However, on Thursday, Estonia’s prime minister, Kaja Kallas, seemed to support Macron by stating that leaders should consider all options to assist Ukraine.
Putin stated that Russia was prepared to engage in discussions with the US over arms control but that Russia’s nuclear forces were ready for deployment.
As the war entered its third year, the Russian president positively appraised the situation, stating that Russian troops had “the initiative” and were “liberating new territories.” He spoke just weeks before an election, where he is generally expected to win another six-year term in power.
Recent military victories for Russia support his remarks. Due to delays in military help from the US and EU to Ukraine, the country’s forces have been obliged to reduce their military activities, which has lifted spirits in Moscow even further.
There were concerns that the funeral for opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who passed away on Thursday, would overshadow Putin’s speech, so his allies claimed that Russian officials had interfered to prevent the funeral from taking place on Thursday.
Putin has been silent since his most dangerous opponent passed away.
Even though it is unclear whether authorities would arrest individuals who have come to pay their respects at Navalny’s funeral on Friday in Moscow, his supporters are likely to attend.
