Vladimir Putin has warned that World War III could break out if the West continues to “escalate the situation” in its latest existential threat over the war in Ukraine.
The Russian dictator accused the West of obstructing the conflict, but did not say that World War III was already underway.
“You know, there’s no need to scare anyone,” he told a state television reporter, with a caveat, “there are many dangers – they are increasing.”
“And we see what our enemy is doing today that is escalating the situation. If they want to, let them live badly, let them escalate further.
“We will always respond to any challenge, always,” he said.
Putin glossed over his role in the escalating conflict in Europe following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, instead boasting of his personal role in the “historic” development of the hypersonic Oreshnik missile.
Last week, Putin went so far as to challenge the West to a “high-tech missile duel,” suggesting he might warn of an attack with the experimental new weapon to see if Ukraine’s allies can “stop it in time.” .
In his speech on the Russia-1 television channel, he urged compromises from Western leaders, claiming: “We are willing to look for these compromises, but without compromising our interests.”
Speaking about Russia-1, Putin warned that World War III could still break out
He remained defiant in the face of what he called Western “escalation.”
Ukrainian ground forces fire a Leopard 2A4 tank during field training at a secret location in Ukraine, October 27
Putin has increased his rhetoric for a possible global war in response to the West’s support for Ukraine.
Last week he accused the West of pushing Russia towards its “red lines” and threatened to lift all voluntary restrictions on the deployment of its short- and medium-range missiles if the US went ahead and deployed similar weapons.
Putin, who said Russian forces in Ukraine have taken control of 189 settlements so far this year, said Russia’s nuclear weapons were there for deterrence.
Nikolai Sokov, a former Soviet and Russian diplomat, said at the time that the “red line” was intended as a “very clear message”: “Make no mistake – all these things could mean nuclear war.”
“I’m really concerned about all the loose talk,” he said, with actors in Ukraine dismissing the threats as a bluff.
“We are confronted head-on in a situation that is completely unknown to us… If you do not calculate the risks, you will probably be faced with a very unpleasant surprise.”
Putin remains defiant that the so-called ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine was not at fault, even saying last week that he should have acted sooner.
“Knowing what is happening now, in 2022 I would have thought that the decision should have been made earlier,” he told an end-of-year press conference on Thursday.
“We should have prepared for those developments and the special military operation earlier.”
A large Russian ammunition depot goes up in flames in the Rostov region after a Ukrainian attack
British Army soldiers take part in training near Rovaniemi, in the Arctic Circle, on November 19
Chilling footage shows Vladimir Putin’s new hypersonic superweapon Oreshnik attacking a defense factory in Dnipro, Ukraine, on November 21
The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg bravely pressed Putin on whether he had succeeded in his goals as president, noting that the war brought NATO closer to Russia’s borders with the accession of Finland and Sweden.
Putin firmly said that Moscow had been “removed from the brink of the abyss” and would lose “sovereignty” before taking power.
He added that Russia was willing to work with Britain if they were willing to do so.
After defending his own role as president, Putin told Russia-1 that the Oreshnik missile he tested in Dnipro last month was a “historic event in the rocket and space field.”
‘Nothing like this has ever happened before. This is the first time this has happened with this type of weapon,” he said.
‘How deeply (was I involved)? Yeah, pretty deep.”
He revealed a division within his Defense Ministry over the development of superweapon Oreshnik.
“In the end, I joined those who felt it should be produced and immediately ordered it to be done, to free up the necessary resources,” he said.
Rescue workers respond to the site of falling fragments of Russian ballistic missiles in the Holosiivskyi district of the city on December 20, 2024 in Kiev
Ukrainian soldiers from the 33rd Brigade pilot a Leopard battle tank towards Kurahove, Ukraine, as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues on December 19
Ukrainian soldiers fire 2s1 artillery towards Kreminna, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on November 30
‘And agreed with those who felt it was time to test it under combat conditions.
“So, of course, that’s part of my job.”
Putin spoke as a large Russian ammunition depot in the Rostov region exploded following a Ukrainian drone strike.
The facility was close to Russian-occupied Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Putin faces an increasing number of his people who want his war to end.
A new survey of state-controlled pollsters VTsIOM shows that if Russians wrote to Santa Claus with one wish, 42 percent of women would ask for an end to the war.
For men this figure is 31 percent.
The wishes for an end to the conflict were greater than for other desires.