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In December, the U.S. supplied long-range ATACMS missiles targeted Russian territory multiple times, with some missiles being intercepted while others struck Russian bases. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the defense ministry on Monday, warning that the West is pushing Russia “beyond a red line,” placing Moscow in a position where it must retaliate.
Putin began by accusing the U.S. of attempting to “weaken our country and inflict a strategic defeat” by continuing to provide Ukraine with weapons and money, as well as sending mercenaries and military advisers, all of which “encourage further escalation” of the conflict. According to a translation provided by state media, Putin stated: “They push us to the red line… we begin to respond, and then they frighten their population.” He suggested that the U.S. is using “simple tactics” to instill fear in the American public, thus allowing the escalation of threats.
Reuters also provided a translation of Putin’s remarks, where he said, “They [Western leaders] are simply scaring their own population that we are going to attack someone there using the pretext of the mythical Russian threat. The tactic is very simple: they push us to ‘a red line’, from which we cannot retreat, we start to respond and then they immediately scare their population— in the old days it was with the Soviet threat and now it’s with the Russian threat.”
Putin not only warned about Russia and other independent nations facing Western-sponsored “hybrid wars,” but also raised concerns about NATO’s growing military presence near Russia’s borders. “The number of American service members in Europe has already exceeded 100,000 troops,” he noted, adding that Washington’s military presence in the Asia-Pacific region has also increased.
Putin further hinted that Moscow may lift its self-imposed restrictions under the INF Treaty if the U.S. begins deploying medium and short-range missile systems in violation of the now-defunct treaty. “If the United States begins to deploy such systems, then all our voluntary restrictions will be lifted,” he stated. “The relocation and deployment of these missile systems in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region is already being practiced.”
On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump also addressed the ongoing situation, stating that he could immediately reverse the Biden administration’s policy of allowing Ukraine to strike Russia with U.S. missiles. He has vowed to quickly de-escalate the conflict and pursue peace negotiations.
