Vladimir Putin warned Westerners on Thursday of a “real threat” of nuclear war if the conflict in Ukraine escalates in his annual address to the nation, an annual high mass at which he defines Russia's priorities.
In a calm tone and to very regular applause from the public, he responded to the controversial comments made by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, who this week raised the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine.
“They (Westerners) talked about the possibility of sending Western military contingents to Ukraine (…), but in reality the consequences of these interventions would be even more tragic,” he said from Gostiny Dvor, a congress palace near Red Square in Moscow .
“They must understand that we also have weapons capable of hitting targets on their territory. Everything they are inventing now not only inflames the whole world, but also poses a real danger of conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and, as a result, the destruction of civilization,” the Russian president continued.
“So you don’t understand?” he asked himself aloud.