Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened Kyiv with Oreshnik missiles if Ukraine continues to remain aggressive. The intermediate-range Russian weapon was used in the city of Dnipro last week, stirring a major storm across the world.
The warning from Putin came during his press conference in Kazakhstan on Thursday. “We do not rule out the use of Oreshnik against the military, military-industrial facilities or decision-making centres, including in Kyiv,” the Russian leader said in a statement. He went on to state that the weapon was “comparable in strength to a nuclear strike” if used several times in one location, The Guardian reported.
“The kinetic impact is powerful, like a meteorite falling,” Putin said. “We know in history what meteorites have fallen where, and what the consequences were. Sometimes it was enough for whole lakes to form.” Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed his Russian counterpart and accused him of “despicable escalation” of the ongoing conflict.
Putin prepares for Trump’s presidency
During the press conference, the Russian leader lauded President-elect Donald Trump, calling him “intelligent”. Many believed that Putin’s comments were designed to make a positive impression on the president-elect and Russia is looking at winning Trump’s favour after he assumes power next year.
He also expressed his shock over the multiple assassination attempts on him. “In my opinion, he is not safe now,” Putin said. “Unfortunately, in the history of the United States, various incidents have happened. I think he [Trump] is intelligent and I hope he’s cautious and understands this.”
During the press briefing, Putin suggested that US President Joe Biden’s decision to allow the use of long-range weapons could either be a ploy to help Trump by giving him a future bargaining chip or an attempt to make Trump’s relations with Russia more difficult. Either way, he claimed that Trump would “find the solution” to the Ukraine war, insisting that Moscow is ready for a dialogue.
Content retrieved from: https://www.firstpost.com/world/putin-threatens-to-turn-kyiv-into-lakes-with-oreshnik-strike-says-trump-can-find-a-solution-13839898.html.
