The threats follow Warsaw declaring its “readiness” to host the alliance’s nuclear warheads – a major move that has provoked furious responses from the Kremlin.
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In a sneering statement, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that joint Nato nuclear missions near the Russian border would be considered a threat to its security.
“Let alone permanent deployment [that] hotheads in Warsaw are speaking about,” he adds, referring to the possible new nuclear deployment to Poland.
“Any steps in this direction will not add to Poland’s security and relevant facilities will inevitably be a target. And they will be in the fore of our military planning,” Ryabkov added.
Poland said it was ready to host nuclear weapons for Nato on Putin’s doorstep in response to Russia moving its own closer to Europe’s powerhouses.
The nation sits in a crucial position as it shares a border with both Belarus and the Russian military playground of Kaliningrad – a Baltic enclave wedged between both Poland and Lithuania.
Russia has moved tactical nuclear weapons into Belarus, its biggest ally in Europe, while also stuffing Kaliningrad, its most westerly territory, with nuclear-capable missiles.
Poland’s president Andrzej Duda said on Monday: “Russia is increasingly militarising Kaliningrad. Recently it has been relocating its nuclear weapons to Belarus.
“If our allies decide to deploy nuclear arms on our territory as part of nuclear sharing, to reinforce Nato’s eastern flank, we are ready to do so.”
Duda also revealed that nuclear talks between Poland and the US have been ongoing for some time. “I declared our readiness,” he said in an interview with Fakt.
Moscow immediately responded by promising its military will take all necessary steps for what it called “ensuring our security” without specifying further.
Nato has not said officially that it wants to send nuclear weapons to Poland and the country does not possess its own warheads.
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It comes after PM Rishi Sunak jetted off to Poland along with Nato chief Yens Stoltenberg for urgent security talks.
Sunak seized the moment to pledge to raise the UK’s defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030 as he said Britain was on a “war footing”.
It marks the biggest defence boost in a generation with a cash injection of £75billion across the next six years.
Sunak hailed it as the “biggest strengthening of national defence in a generation” to combat a growing axis of evil between Russia, Iran, China and North Korea.
A record £500million was earmarked for President Zelensky’s war effort, as the PM warned Putin will not stop at the Polish border should the despot win in Ukraine,
The power-package will include further ammunition, air defence and drones and take the UK’s support for Kyiv to £3billion this financial year.
In “just days”, according to US officials, the fresh weapons could reach Ukraine’s frontline and experts say it could be just in time to blunt Russia‘s new offensive.
The Sun also spoke to three senior military experts about what the UK needs to shore up its own defences and build a war chest ready to take on Russia.
His comments come in the face of repeated warnings of nuclear escalation from Russia.
On Monday, just two days after US lawmakers approved £50billion worth of military aid to Ukraine, Russia rattled its nuclear sabre once again.
Russia’s foreign minister Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov fumed: “The Westerners are teetering dangerously on the brink of a direct military clash between nuclear powers, which is fraught with catastrophic consequences.”
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PUTIN’S NUCLEAR THREATS
NATO is headed for a nuclear showdown with the rest as Nato could be considering moving nukes to Putin’s doorstep.
Feb 24, 2022 – Vladimir Putin: “No matter who tries to stand in our way or all the more so create threats for our country and our people, they must know that Russia will respond immediately, and the consequences will be such as you have never seen in your entire history.”
March 26, 2022 – Putin crony Dmitry Medvedev: “We have a special document on nuclear deterrence. This document clearly indicates the grounds on which the Russian Federation is entitled to use nuclear weapons. … [This includes] when an act of aggression is committed against Russia and its allies.”
April 20, 2022 – Vladimir Putin: “[The new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads] will force all who are trying to threaten our country in the heat of frenzied, aggressive rhetoric to think twice.”
Feb 29, 2024 – Vladimir Putin: “They must understand that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory… All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization. Don’t they get that?”
March 12, 2024 – Vladimir Putin declared that weapons like nukes “exist in order to use them”.
A chilling nuclear war simulator has also revealed how a Russian nuclear strike could trigger a global conflict – killing 35 million people in just a matter of hours.
The model predicts a catastrophic war escalating from an initial Russian nuclear strike, which quickly draws in other powers.
Known as “Plan A”, the four-minute animation aims to highlight the horrific potential consequences of conflict between Russia and NATO countries as all nations would fire strikes against one another.
The model predicts that almost 35 million people would die within hours – many of those in the first 45 minutes.
The trigger-happy tyrant has even started talking about how he could deploy nukes in space, saying that Russia can be “proud” of its work on a “nuclear power plant… for operation in space”.
A bombshell warning from US intelligence in February suggested Vlad could be hoping to arm his existing anti-satellite weapon with nukes and launch it into space.
Last year, Putin was said to be readying a deadly 20,000mph “meteorite” hypersonic missile for combat.
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