Putin says Russia will use all weapons if Kaliningrad is attacked

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday that Moscow would use all weapons in its arsenal, including possibly nuclear weapons, if Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad were directly attacked.

“If it comes to a direct attack on the Russian Federation — in this case, we are referring to Kaliningrad, and perhaps other territories as well — the question of the Russian Federation deploying all the weapons at our country’s disposal will, of course, inevitably and immediately be on the agenda,” Putin said at the Valdai Discussion Club forum, according to Reuters.

“This is inevitable,” he said.

Putin said Russia was not planning to attack European countries but accused the West of raising tensions by talking about preparations for a possible conflict with Moscow and holding military exercises in the Baltic region.

His comments came after Russian diplomats warned NATO that Moscow might use nuclear weapons if the alliance attempted to isolate Kaliningrad, which is sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania. Russia has accused NATO of planning an air and naval blockade of the region, an accusation denied by the alliance.

NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said the alliance “strongly denounce[s] the threat of force, including any irresponsible nuclear rhetoric,” The Associated Press reported. NATO said its activities are defensive and do not threaten Russia.