Putin's ally warns the West of nuclear war

Photo: Maxar Technologies/via REUTERS/File photo.

A close ally of Mr Putin warned Western countries on Thursday of the possibility of nuclear war if they gave Ukraine the green light to use Western-made long-range weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Russian State Duma and a member of the Russian Security Council, responded to a vote by the European Parliament urging EU countries to allow Kyiv to take these actions.

On Telegram, Mr. Volodin wrote: "The calls of the European Parliament will lead to global nuclear war."

His messages were titled “To those who did not understand the first warning” – a reference to Mr Putin’s warning last week that Western countries would confront Russia directly if they allowed Ukraine to launch long-range missiles into Russian territory.

The war in Ukraine has sparked the most serious confrontation between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, an event seen as the closest the two Cold War superpowers came to global nuclear war.

Speaking to The Times this week, outgoing NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg said the Kremlin leader had drawn “many red lines” but had never escalated a conflict with the West when they were crossed. Putin’s spokesman described the comments as dangerous and provocative.

In a non-binding resolution adopted on Thursday, the European Parliament asked EU countries to "immediately lift restrictions on the use of Western weapons systems supplied to Ukraine against legitimate military targets on Russian territory".

"If this happens, Russia will respond harshly and use more powerful weapons. The parties should not be mistaken on this issue," Mr. Volodin wrote. Moscow believes that Western countries have forgotten the huge sacrifices made by the Soviet Union in World War II, he said.

He said European countries must understand that Russia's RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, also known as Satan II in the West, could strike Strasbourg, where the European Parliament is held, within 3 minutes and 20 seconds.

Nguyen Quang Minh (According to Reuters)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/dong-minh-cua-ong-putin-canh-bao-phuong-tay-ve-chien-tranh-hat-nhan-204240920093347517.htm