Countries supplying Ukraine with weapons are 'a threat', Putin says - while insisting Russia is 'not threatening anyone'

Vladimir Putin has ominously labelled countries supplying Ukraine with weapons 'a threat' while insisting in turn that Russia is 'not threatening anyone'.The despot made the comments at the Valdai foreign relations forum in Moscow, where he said that he could not rule out the use of weapons of mass destruction from his foreign policy.'Russia is not going to attack anyone but, if attacked, will have to retaliate,' he told the annual Valdai Discussion Club, in a long-winded speech that lasted for more than three hours.'European Union citizens should understand that,' he added, while clarifying that those who supply weapons to Kyiv are a 'threat', as are Western countries that practice military drills.'We are not threatening anyone, we are not going to attack anyone in 2029, or in 2030, or in 2050, but if faced with aggression, we will have to respond,' he went on to say.The UK has faced persistent retaliation and threats from the Kremlin in recent weeks after UK-made drones were used to hit targets on Russian soil and for sharing missile plans with Kyiv to help increase their own production of weapons.And on Wednesday, Putin threatened Nato that Russia would use nuclear weapons if he felt that the Kremlin's European outpost of Kaliningrad and Murmansk were being isolated. Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave between Nato members Poland and Lithuania that has been touted as a possible launch location for the Kremlin's nuclear missiles and Murmansk is a vitally strategic part of Russia's mainland, home to the nation's Northern Fleet.In a scathing post to its Telegram channel, the Russian Embassy in London warned: 'Those advocating plans to blockade or strike Kaliningrad should have no illusions about the consequences. Vladimir Putin has labelled countries supplying Ukraine with weapons 'a threat' at the annual Valdai Discussion Club on Thursday 'Any British or NATO military action against Russian territory would be met with a response using all means at Russia’s disposal, including nuclear weapons.'And on Wednesday, in a document sent to Nato and seen by Reuters, Moscow accused the alliance of a 'dangerous and reckless course' that entailed 'high risks of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict'.The document said this included the possibility of 'Russian strikes against decision-making centres in the alliance's member states right from the outset.''Russia will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, in order to defend its territory should NATO countries undertake any attempt aimed at isolating the Kaliningrad Region from the rest of the country,' the diplomatic note said.The latest comments preceded a warning from a prominent Russian foreign policy strategist on Thursday that Moscow will 'go nuclear' and leave 'little left' of some European countries if they continue backing Ukraine.Sergei Karaganov said Russia would initially use conventional weapons, but would resort to nuclear attacks if Europe refused to surrender.The honorary chairman of Russia's Council for Foreign and Defence Policy also dismissed the prospect of Britain or the United States retaliating with nuclear weapons. At the Valdai Discussion Club, Putin added that it was impossible to rule out the use of weapons of mass destruction: 'Right now, leading countries in the world have at their disposal armaments that can wipe away all life, or at least push the path to catastrophic consequences. A test launch of a nuclear-capable Sarmat missile on April 20 2022 Smoke and fire at the site of a Russian air strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in a location given as Kyiv, Ukraine, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released on September 30, 2026'Can we be certain that these weapons will never be used? Unfortunately, we cannot be sure.' A new world order appeared to be on the horizon and Putin suggested that global tensions could ease 'as Western hegemony subsides'.Putin made repeated efforts to paint Russia as a country acting in defence to a Ukrainian attack and repeated claims that Russia did not start the war with Ukraine, despite launching a full-scale invasion on its neighbour in 2022, following years of aggression towards the country.'I'm sure that Russia has been deliberately put in a situation where it was simply forced to respond to this apparent aggression, it was forced to defend itself, taking up arms, they've put us to this red line,' he said. He added that Ukraine was the first to 'initiate' hitting civilian infrastructure, a claim that many would dispute, to which Russia then responded. Yesterday a Ukrainian school with more than 100 pupils in attendance was struck by Russian missiles. With many of Putin's statements heard previously, the Russian leader went on to confirm that he would not sell diesel on the global market until sanctions on his country were lifted. The declaration comes as diesel prices peak at £2 in the UK for the first time ever. Putin told the audience that the recent Ukrainian strikes have cost the Kremlin 'around one per cent' of its GDP and that Kiev has 'managed to secure some results' by hitting some of Russia's oil refineries.In recent months, Zelensky's campaign against vital Russian resources has cost more than £35billion in economic damage, according to estimates, and has led to fuel shortages across the country.Just this evening, President Volodymyr Zelensky shared a video of a new ballistic missile – the FP-7 – being fired for the first time. The missile was made by Ukrainian company Fire Point and can hit targets up to 250km (155 miles) away.It comes after European defence firm MBDA gave permission to share information on UK components for the long-range Scalp missile – the French version of the Storm Shadow – with Kiev in order for them to start building their own weapons and reduce their reliance on foreign imports.Meanwhile, British-made drones used by Ukraine for strikes on Russian territory include the Nyan – a jet-powered, carbon-fibre attack drone developed by Wiltshire-based Callen-Lenz, a subsidiary of BAE Systems, The Sunday Times first reported.The aircraft has a wingspan of more than 9ft and a reported range of more than 150 miles.It was reportedly used against Belgorod last year and has since formed part of Ukraine's expanding deep-strike campaign.Ukraine has deployed a second unidentified British-made drone, launched by catapult and capable of travelling more than 600 miles.Earlier this week, it emerged that Lithuania and Poland are developing evacuation plans in the event of full-blown war with Russia.The countries are preparing procedures, logistics and infrastructure, including evacuation routes for civilians, through the Suwalki Gap, the 60-mile strip of border between Poland and Lithuania, where Nato generals fear Putin might stage an attack.The corridor connects Belarus, a Moscow ally, to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.If Putin deploys his forces from Belarus across the gap to Kaliningrad, he could isolate Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from allies in central and western Europe.Vilnius and Warsaw are developing a bilateral agreement to provide a framework for the plans, according to the Lithuanian National Crisis Management Centre.The announcement came as Lithuania launched nationwide drills, including practice evacuation procedures at its border with Poland.