In a speech to parliament, Putin repeated his accusation that the West was seeking to weaken Russia, and said that Moscow had the weapons to strike targets in the West, the Reuters news agency reported.
Referring to an idea floated by French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday that European NATO members could consider sending troops to Ukraine, Putin said: (Western nations) must realise that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory," according to Reuters.
"All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the
destruction of civilisation," Putin added. "Don't they get that?!"
Macron's suggestion of sending Western troops to Ukraine was quickly rejected by the United States, Germany, Britain and other NATO allies during an international conference in Paris on Monday, Reuters reported.
Putin said in December that his country had no plans to attack the NATO military alliance, dismissing remarks by US President Joe Biden that Russia would attack a NATO country if it won the war in Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.
Thursday is day 736 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(gs)
Source: PAP, Reuters
