Putin warns of escalation over Kaliningrad

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday that tensions involving Russia and the West could escalate to a “fatal point of no return,” and said Moscow would consider using weapons across its arsenal if Kaliningrad faced a direct attack. He also said Russia did not plan to attack European countries. Speaking at the Valdai Forum in Moscow, Putin cautioned that increasingly severe retaliation could quickly lead to a situation that could not be reversed. He said it could not be certain that nuclear weapons would never be used, while urging countries to avoid such an outcome. The remarks were warnings about possible escalation, not an announcement that Russia intended to use nuclear weapons. Putin described a direct attack on Kaliningrad as a scenario that would put the use of Russia’s full arsenal on the agenda. The region is a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, between NATO members Poland and Lithuania. Reports of his remarks also referred to concerns about a possible blockade or isolation of the region, but his comments did not establish one precise trigger beyond a direct attack.