Putin Thrashes West Over Kaliningrad

At a gathering of foreign‑policy thinkers in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin told an audience that Russia would use the full range of its military arsenal to defend the small Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad if it were threatened. He said that the denial of “West’s attempts to isolate the area” would be met with a rapid and capable response, and added that nuclear weapons would be considered if necessary.

The speech came against a backdrop of heightened tension in the region. NATO, which neighbours Moscow’s exclave, has been experimenting with large naval manoeuvres in the Baltic Sea. In the past month, drone incursions over Lithuanian and Polish airspace and a reported Russian helicopter near Polish borders have prompted security statements from the two countries.

“We are not threatening anyone, but if we come across an aggression we have to respond,” Putin said, making it clear that any direct attack on Kaliningrad would trigger a full‐scale retaliation. The leader also satirised the idea that “the nuclear capability of the West is just a show; ours is unparalleled.”

In a broader context, the president reiterated his stance that international conflict will continue until the “Western hegemonic” influence weaker. He accused the West of provoking the Ukraine war and condemned NATO for its “bridge‑building” that might end up “heaping death” for ordinary citizens of Europe.