Putin Warns NATO of Military Response as U.S. Seeks Dialogue
- Russian president blames U.S. for rising tensions in Europe
- U.S. says talks on Russian proposals to start in January
This article is for subscribers only.
President Vladimir Putin threatened a military response to counter NATO expansion toward Russia’s borders, but said he hoped for a diplomatic solution to rising tensions as the U.S. said it was ready to discuss his security demands.
The U.S. and its allies “must understand that we have nowhere to retreat further” and Russia can’t allow them to deploy missiles in Ukraine that would be a few minutes’ strike distance from Moscow, Putin told senior officers Tuesday at the Russian Defense Ministry. Russia will “take adequate military-technical response measures and react harshly to unfriendly steps,” he said.