Putin warns NATO over Kaliningrad as UK offers allies nuclear cover

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that recent warnings directed at NATO function as a direct response to intimidation attempts by Western nations. Speaking in Moscow on Thursday during the annual Valdai Discussion Forum, Putin warned that a direct assault on Russian territory or the exclave of Kaliningrad would trigger the deployment of all available weaponry.

The United Kingdom has proposed extending its nuclear deterrent to other members of the Joint Expeditionary Force, a group of Northern European allies, Ukrainian outlet 24 Kanal reported, citing the British initiative as a response to the rising tension around Kaliningrad.

Putin said Russia lost roughly one percent of its gross domestic product this summer because of Ukrainian strikes on its oil refineries, which caused fuel shortages across the country. He said Russian strikes in response now target Ukrainian steel plants, supply chains including the railway sector, and large warehouses, and have also curtailed grain exports through the Black Sea, an important source of revenue for Kyiv.

Putin rejected specific proposals for a mutual cessation of long-range strikes between Russia and Ukraine. According to Report.az, he dismissed the idea of halting attacks on oil refineries while protecting shipping lanes as ridiculous. He noted that such an arrangement would increase diesel volumes for the United States while Russian products remain blocked by sanctions.

Tageblatt reported that Putin specifically pointed to the security situation surrounding the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. He criticised consecutive military exercises held by NATO states near the borders of the territory and condemned attempts to intercept Russian vessels in the Baltic Sea as escalation. A document recently issued by Moscow criticised what it called a major rise in military activities along its western borders.

NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said the alliance "strongly denounces" the threat of force, including what she called irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, and insisted NATO is a defensive alliance whose activities pose no risk to Russia. Secretary-General Mark Rutte said NATO's written reply to Russia's message was "short and concise," telling the alliance was defensive and urging Moscow to stop the nuclear threat. Rutte said Russia was trying to divide NATO allies and distract from the war in Ukraine, and that the best response was to keep supporting Kyiv.

Kaliningrad sits between NATO members Poland and Lithuania and hosts Russia's main Baltic naval base along with nuclear-capable Iskander missiles. NATO allies have held exercises in the Baltic Sea region in recent months, including an August 18 exercise involving an EA-37B Compass Call jamming aircraft, and more are planned for October under the alliance's Operation Baltic Sentry, which protects undersea cables and pipelines.

The remarks contrasted with earlier statements from other senior Russian officials, such as Dmitry Medvedev, who previously threatened direct strikes against German military production facilities. Putin insisted that Russia does not plan to attack anyone in the coming decades, though n-tv noted that Moscow keeps the situation regarding Western arms suppliers under observation.