> As for military affairs, even after the dissolution of the USSR and losing a considerable part of its capabilities, today’s Russia remains one of the most powerful NUCLEAR states. Moreover, it has a certain advantage in several cutting-edge weapons. In this context, there should be no doubt for anyone that any potential aggressor will face defeat and ominous consequences should it directly attack our country.
> Putin warned the West that he wouldn't hesitate to conduct a nuclear strike if they try to meddle.
I maintain he never said that and that interpreting the word nuclear which indeed appears at the beginning of the speech (I stand corrected) in the context of the retaliation threat at the end - is quite a stretch.
The retaliation threat is right there in the same paragraph as mentioning their nuclear capabilities, I’m not sure how you can rationally argue otherwise.
> Russia is one of the most powerful nuclear powers in the world
If you're using a different transcript then i'm not commenting on that. I was literally just pointing to what i posted, which may not be accurate - as i said multiple times.
Not sure why i had to type out what is clearly readable in what i posted, but /shrug
Dude, even if the West is 99% sure that Putin is bluffing, then the risk of starting nuclear war remains to be 1%. No sane person would call this bluff for the sake of saving Ukraine. Who cares about Ukraine after all.
It was an empty threat. And, sadly, the West fell for it and now the Ukrainians are paying the price.