Putin: "No More Room to Retreat... Considering Military Response" (Comprehensive)

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo by AFP)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Yujin] Amid escalating US-Russia tensions surrounding Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that if Russia's security guarantee demands are rejected, various military responses will be considered.

On the 26th (local time), President Putin said in a state TV interview in response to the host's question, "If the United States and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) do not accept Russia's proposals this time, what kind of military and technical responses will Russia take?"

President Putin stated, "If the West continues aggressive actions on our doorstep, we will have no choice but to take appropriate military and technical measures," adding, "The responses can be very diverse. It depends on what proposals our military experts submit to me."

He emphasized that Russia has been pushed to a point where it can no longer retreat regarding security issues. He repeated his previous claim, saying, "Western countries have pushed us to the limit line," and "We have nowhere else to retreat," highlighting the security threats faced.

He also added, "We discussed the dangers of the new (NATO) missile systems that take only 4 to 5 minutes to reach Moscow."

Earlier, Russia accused the United States and NATO of "trying to stop Ukraine from joining NATO" and criticized NATO for deploying troops and missiles in Ukraine to threaten Russia's security.

At the same time, President Putin said Russia will strive to achieve positive outcomes in negotiations with the US and NATO, such as signing legally binding documents.

He emphasized, "We did not make proposals to stop something during the negotiation process but to obtain diplomatic negotiation results legally specified in the form of documents," adding, "We will aim for this."

The tension triggered by Ukraine's push for NATO membership intensified as claims arose that Russia is deploying 100,000 troops and weapons near Ukraine and preparing to invade Ukraine early next year.

At the annual press conference held on the 23rd, President Putin criticized Lenin for handing over Russian land to Ukraine and pointed out that Eastern European countries and some Northern European countries, which were once under Soviet influence, have become NATO members.

President Putin denied any attempt to invade Ukraine and has demanded that the US and NATO sign security guarantee documents that prohibit further NATO membership of Ukraine and other former Soviet states, as well as the deployment of NATO weapons in Ukraine and adjacent regions to ease tensions around Ukraine.

President Putin officially raised these demands during a video conference with US President Joe Biden on the 7th, and on the 15th, the Russian Foreign Ministry delivered drafts of the Russia-US security guarantee treaty and the Russia-NATO security measures agreement to the US side. Russia-US and Russia-NATO negotiations on these matters are scheduled to begin in January next year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.