Russia-Ukraine tensions: Vladimir Putin threatens 'military-technical response' if West does not stop 'aggressive line'
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Loading... - Mark Robinson
- 22 Dec 2021
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Vladimir Putin has threatened a "military-technical response" if Western countries continue with what he calls "unfriendly" actions over Ukraine.
Speaking to military officials, Mr Putin said there was no room to retreat in the standoff currently centred on the former Soviet state.
And the Russian president reiterated his demand for guarantees from the US and its allies that NATO will not expand eastwards, blaming the West for "tensions that are building up in Europe".
Concerns are growing that Russia is planning to invade its neighbour Ukraine with thousands of troops gathering near the border.
Russia has denied it is preparing a military advance.
What Putin said - and what is being threatened
Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Putin said: "What the US is doing in Ukraine is at our doorstep... And they should understand that we have nowhere further to retreat to. Do they think we'll just watch idly?
"If the aggressive line of our Western colleagues continues, we will take adequate military-technical response measures and react harshly to unfriendly steps."
The exact measures the 69-year-old leader wants to use were not elaborated upon.
However the deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, previously threatened that Russia could redeploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe.
Mr Putin last week told French President Emmanuel Macron that he wanted to prevent an eastern expansion of NATO. Read More…
