Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday accsued the West of pushing Russia to its “red lines” – situations it has publicly made clear it will not tolerate – and said Moscow had been forced to respond.
Putin told a meeting of defence officials that Russia was watching the U.S. development and potential deployment of short and medium-range missiles with concern.
He said Russia would lift all of its own voluntary restrictions on the deployment of its own missiles if the U.S. went ahead and deployed such missiles.
Putin said Russia’s nuclear weapons were there for deterrence.
Putin: Russia has initiative across entire Ukraine front
Putin said his troops had the upper hand across the entire front line in Ukraine and were accelerating their advance.
“Russian troops are firmly holding the strategic initiative along the entire line of contact,” Putin told his military generals in a televised meeting.
He said Russia’s army had seized 189 Ukrainian settlements this year and called 2024 a “landmark year in the achievement of the goals of the special military operation,” using Moscow’s official language for its campaign.
Speaking after Putin at the same meeting, Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said Russia’s troops had seized almost 4,500 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory this year and were now gaining around 30 square kilometres a day.
He said Ukraine controlled less than one percent of the eastern Lugansk region, and around 25-30 percent of the Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Russia claimed in 2022 to annex all four, despite not having full control over any of them.
Its troops have been advancing across the Donetsk region throughout the year, claiming on Monday to have captured another small village there.