Russia’s Putin rules out ceasefire with Ukraine during speech in Moscow

Putin warned the West helium would deploy atomic weapons if indispensable to support the Russian Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruled retired a ceasefire connected long-range strikes with Ukraine arsenic Moscow steps up its campaign of aerial attacks connected Kyiv.

“We are told: ‘Let them halt striking your refineries, and you volition halt striking their ships.’ It is simply ridiculous,” Putin said connected Thursday astatine the Valdai governmental forum successful Moscow.

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The remarks followed a gathering betwixt United States President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy successful New York connected September 22, erstwhile Zelenskyy said Kyiv was acceptable to cease strikes connected Russian lipid refineries and different vigor facilities if Moscow besides stopped its attacks connected Ukrainian vigor infrastructure.

Speaking astatine the forum of the Moscow-based deliberation tank, Putin said Ukraine had “partially achieved its objectives” with ⁠these strikes, with attacks connected Russian ⁠oil refineries having outgo the state 1 percent of its gross home merchandise (GDP), but added that Russia ⁠was present responding successful kind.

Russia has ramped up long-range strikes, targeting Ukraine’s alloy companies arsenic good arsenic proviso chains, notably successful the obstruction sector. Ukraine accuses Moscow of deliberately hitting civilian targets and keeping Kyiv connected a near-constant authorities of alert arsenic it braces for different pugnacious winter.

A Russian drone struck a schoolhouse successful Kyiv connected Thursday, according to metropolis officials, arsenic the Ukrainian superior endured relentless aerial attacks. No casualties were reported arsenic children and unit astatine the schoolhouse were successful shelters erstwhile the drone hit.

Putin added that Russia would similar to extremity the struggle successful Ukraine done talks and wanted it to ⁠be a neutral ⁠country aft the extremity ⁠of hostilities.

The atomic option

He warned the West not to escalate the standoff implicit Ukraine by threatening the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which is wedged betwixt Poland and Lithuania, and pledged to support it with atomic weapons if necessary.

“If it comes to a nonstop onslaught connected the Russian Federation – successful this case, we are referring to Kaliningrad, and possibly different territories arsenic good – the question of the Russian Federation deploying each the weapons astatine our country’s disposal will, of course, inevitably and instantly beryllium connected the agenda,” helium said.

Putin’s comments followed a diplomatic enactment which NATO said this week it had received from Russia, informing the Western subject confederation it would beryllium acceptable to edifice to atomic weapons if NATO attempted to chopped disconnected Russia’s Baltic exclave.

Putin warned that cycles of escalation successful planetary struggle ⁠could rapidly pb to unsafe scenarios. “We indispensable realise that the infinitesimal erstwhile thing tin beryllium changed immoderate longer whitethorn travel precise rapidly and unexpectedly for everyone. The logic of escalating, progressively harsh retaliatory measures leads to a fatal constituent of nary return,” ⁠he said.

On the contrary, successful the lawsuit of a “favourable scenario”, Putin said the assets of Western companies that Moscow had seized could perchance beryllium returned. Putin past period ordered the seizure of businesses and assets of Swiss nutrient elephantine Nestle, French retailer Auchan, the erstwhile Leroy Merlin DIY concatenation and German wholesaler and nutrient retailer Metro.