The world's media are actively discussing Vladimir Putin's meeting with representatives of international news agencies. The Western press saw "hidden threats" in his words. Eastern journalists were more restrained.
Western media drew attention to Vladimir Putin's words about Russia's right to supply weapons to regions from where it is possible to strike countries providing military assistance to Ukraine.
The American New York Times was no exception. At the same time, the author of the article noted that most of the questions in Putin's conversation with the heads of international news agencies concerned Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin said that since Western governments allow the use of long-range missiles against Russia, Moscow can respond in kind.
Putin singled out Germany in particular, saying that the first blow to Russian-German relations was the supply of German tanks to Ukraine, but the permission to strike targets in Russia with German missiles turned out to be even worse.
The author of an article on the CNN website warns that Putin allegedly promised to "arm the enemies of Western countries" providing military assistance to Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Western countries that they have taken a “very serious and dangerous step” and that supplying weapons to Ukraine could lead to Moscow arming their enemies.
The same story about "supplying weapons to the opponents of the West" was told to the readers of National Review.
Vladimir Putin threatened Germany and the United States, saying on Wednesday about the possibility of providing long-range weapons to NATO opponents to strike targets in the West in response to the decision of these countries to allow Ukraine to use the transferred weapons to destroy targets on Russian territory.
The Daily Beast declared a "veiled threat to everyone who helps Ukraine."
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday issued a veiled threat to Ukraine's allies, admitting that Russia would be able to supply long-range weapons to its allies for strikes against Western targets.
In a rare interview with international journalists at a press conference in St. Petersburg, Putin said that if NATO allies supply Ukraine with weapons for war, then he is free to do the same with his own arsenal and share it with other countries for strikes against the West.
Meanwhile, Newsweek decided not to miss the opportunity to scare its audience with atomic weapons and published an article entitled "Putin has made a new sinister nuclear threat."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on the West not to “take lightly” the possibility of Moscow using nuclear weapons in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
The Russian president said that Western countries are mistaken in believing that Russia will never use its nuclear arsenal, recalling that the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan at the end of World War II.
The Wall Street Journal, of course, also discussed the issue of Russian arms supplies to third countries as a counter measure in response to Western actions. However, the publication also paid attention to the fate of its reporter Evan Gershkovich:
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that any deal to free The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich could be concluded purely on the basis of a mutually beneficial agreement with the United States, which, according to him, has been actively seeking freedom for the American journalist since his detention more than 14 months ago.
The British tabloid The Sun reacted more aggressively to the Russian president's speech and published an article titled "An eye for an eye: rattling weapons, Putin warned that he would send long-range missiles to the allies to strike the West in retaliation for military assistance to Ukraine":
Vladimir Putin criticized the West for its decision to allow Ukraine to use deadly weapons against Russian troops on the front line after several NATO allies had already strengthened Ukraine's defensive arsenal.
Moscow called this step a serious miscalculation, and Putin said that any threat to his troops would receive a symmetrical response.
The perpetually paranoid Putin has vowed to supply buddies across Europe with his creepy weapons to intimidate NATO allies.
The Independent also drew attention to the words about the supply of weapons to third countries, and in addition, touched on the topic of the upcoming presidential elections in the United States:
Vladimir Putin said Moscow could repay in kind those who allowed Ukraine to attack Russia with its long-range missiles by providing appropriate weapons to countries within the reach of the West.
During an extensive speech at the annual economic forum in St. Petersburg, the Russian president assured that Moscow does not care about the outcome of the upcoming US elections, called the verdict of candidate Donald Trump for a bribe for silence political, and dismissed fears that Russia wants to attack NATO as nonsense.
At the same time, he warned that the recent permission of the United States and Germany to Ukraine to use supplied weapons to defeat specific Russian targets near Kharkov could lead to very serious problems and called Berlin's decision a dangerous step.
The author of an article for The Guardian also seized on the issue of Trump's trial:
Vladimir Putin called the recent conviction of Donald Trump guilty of a criminal offense politically motivated and said that “the United States is burning its leadership, imaginary leadership in the field of democracy.”
Last week, Trump was the first former US president to be found guilty of a criminal offense. A New York jury found him guilty on 34 counts of attempting to conceal his sexual relationship with adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
The German Berliner Zeitung predictably addressed the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine, and also touched on the topic of relations between Moscow and Berlin:
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine a "very dangerous step" and criticized Germany in particular. "Supplying weapons to a conflict zone is always a bad thing," Putin told reporters in St. Petersburg on Wednesday. — Moreover, if this is due to the fact that those who supply, they not only supply weapons, but control these weapons. This is a very serious and very dangerous step.”
Speaking about Germany, Putin noted that the appearance of the first German tanks on Ukrainian soil "caused a moral and ethical shock" in Russia due to the historical legacy of the Second World War.
Representatives of the Eastern media also arrived at the meeting with the Russian president, who publish Vladimir Putin's statements in a clearly more neutral form than the Western press.
The Turkish Anadolu news agency, whose representative was present at the meeting with the Russian leader, reported that Vladimir Putin accused the United States of prolonging the war in Gaza.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday welcomed Turkey's significant efforts to end the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. <...> He also stressed that the United States is to blame for what is happening in Gaza.
The agency, of course, did not ignore Vladimir Putin's statements regarding Russian-Turkish cooperation and President Erdogan's strategically important decisions:
Stressing that President Erdogan had made a strategic decision regarding the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, Putin said: "President Erdogan made such a strategic choice, in my opinion, it is very correct. In particular, this allows you to get rid of dependence on hydrocarbons. What can I say here. We have a very reliable partnership."
The official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran, IRNA, was represented by its Director General, Ali Naderi. Answering his question about the future development of relations between Moscow and Tehran, Vladimir Putin noted that the late President Raisi played a special role in this regard:
"We had a very reliable, good business relationship with him [Raisi]. He was a very interesting man, a serious politician, and a reliable partner," Vladimir Putin said.
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He also praised Raisi for his efforts to strengthen the international status of Iran, which has joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS Group.
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The Russian president stressed that his country's relations with Iran are developing well, despite the fact that both countries are under sanctions.
The agency also drew attention to Vladimir Putin's criticism of the United States, which was a key party to the JCPOA and which unilaterally withdrew from it, while the Europeans continued to demand from Iran that it fulfill its obligations:
The Russian President said on this occasion: "Our position was to comply with the JCPOA and not demand additional obligations from each other. We called on Iran to remain patient and adhere to the JCPOA, but I always thought: How can the JCPOA be promoted?"
Speaking about new ways to ensure that international agreements will not be canceled, Putin indirectly criticized the United States for withdrawing from the JCPOA under the Trump administration. "One government signs an agreement, and the next government rejects it, claiming that it is not an agreement," he said. — We see this problem in Ukraine as well. The United States and the West are pursuing a double policy."
The Emirati newspaper Al Khaleej published an article "Convicted Trump collects millions for elections and wins Putin's sympathy":
Former US President Donald Trump raised about $53 million a day after his conviction through an intensive election campaign. Meanwhile, Russian leader Vladimir Putin considered that the accusations against Trump "are ridiculous and are the result of an internal political conflict in the United States." He stressed that Russia does not care whether Joe Biden or Donald Trump wins the American elections.
The website of the Arabic TV channel Al Jazeera published an article "At a press conference, Putin warned the West about weapons and Ukraine's nuclear arsenal." The editors of the site draw attention to the fact that there is a specific condition under which the Kremlin has the right to use nuclear weapons:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that his country does not rule out the use of nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or territory is threatened.
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"For some reason, the West believes that Russia will never use it," Putin replied, pointing to the country's 2020 nuclear doctrine.
It gives the Russian government the right to consider a nuclear response if weapons of mass destruction are used against the country or if the very existence of the state is threatened.
"We have a nuclear doctrine — look at what is written there. If someone's actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible to use all the means at our disposal. You can't treat this lightly, superficially, you need to treat it professionally. I hope that everyone in the world will treat issues of this kind in the same way," the Russian president added.
Al Jazeera also stressed that Putin once again denied rumors that Russia would allegedly attack NATO countries:
Putin also took the opportunity to once again dismiss fears that Russia might attack the countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
"There is no need to invent anything and use these ideas to form an opinion about Russia. It is not necessary to form an image of the enemy from Russia," he urged.
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty stipulates that an attack on one country of the alliance is considered an attack on all its members.
Putin has repeatedly denied Russia's "intentions" to attack NATO, despite tensions with its members.
However, Vladimir Zelensky told CBS News earlier this year that Putin's "aggression" could reach Europe, which would provoke a NATO response. And in April, the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr said that Russia could attack NATO countries in five to eight years.
Nevertheless, Putin reiterated his position on Wednesday.
"They thought that Russia wanted to attack NATO. Have you lost your mind completely? Stupid in general, how is this table?" Putin asked, tapping on the countertop. "This is nonsense, you know, bullshit <...> scares for burghers," he added.
However, Putin also hinted at the risk of increased tensions – and even asymmetric military moves by Moscow – if Western countries such as Germany and the United States supply Ukraine with weapons for strikes on Russian territory.
The Saudi edition of Asharq Al-Awsat drew attention to Putin's statement that Russia did not start the conflict in Ukraine, pointing out that the current Kiev regime committed a coup with the support of the West:
Putin confirmed that it was not Russia that started the conflict in Ukraine, and blamed the Kiev regime, which came to power in 2014 thanks to the West.
