Putin Says World Is Living Through a Dangerous Moment, Warns West Not to Escalate

Key Points:

• President Vladimir Putin warned the West against escalating tensions over Kaliningrad, stating Russia would defend the exclave with all weapons, including nuclear arms, if threatened.
• Putin emphasized that Russia has no plans to attack European countries and desires peaceful coexistence, but reiterated readiness to use nuclear weapons if Russia's territory is directly attacked.
• The warning follows a Russian diplomatic note to NATO threatening nuclear response if the alliance attempts to isolate Kaliningrad, highlighting Moscow's concern over NATO's military presence near the exclave.
• Putin cautioned that escalating international conflicts risk reaching a "point of no return," stressing the catastrophic potential of modern nuclear arsenals and urging avoidance of such outcomes.
• While acknowledging economic impacts from Ukrainian strikes, Putin ruled out halting Russian attacks on Ukrainian targets and dismissed plans to attack European arms factories supplying Ukraine.