Putin says Russia could deploy missiles in striking distance of the West

Reuters ^ | June 06, 2024 | Samia Nakhoul and Guy Faulconbridge

[4Runner]

ST PETERSBURG, Russia, June 5 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday he could deploy conventional missiles within striking distance of the United States and its European allies if they allowed Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia with long-range Western weapons. Putin, in his first face-to-face meeting with senior editors of international news agencies since the war in Ukraine began, said the West was wrong to assume Russia would never use nuclear weapons, and said the Kremlin's nuclear doctrine should not be taken lightly.

[4Runner]

We made a grave mistake not taking advantage of the dissolution of the USSR/Soviet Union (which we accomplished at great cost) to cultivate cooperative relationships with Russia, a fellow Christian nation. That failure will have catastrophic consequences for America. Bankrolling a corrupt Ukraine with money and weapons and by extension the ever-grasping NATO nations, all of which hate America, we have set the stage for our own annihilation. The recent visitors to the Straits of Florida will attest to that fact. Russian subs are not stationed outside Paris or Rome or Berlin or Barcelona. Instead they are 200 miles away from Tampa, Florida.

[Dr. Franklin]

Putin can make all of the threats he wants, but it should not affect our policy in Ukraine. Putin’s Russia is having great difficulty subdoing one of its neighbors. It stands no chance against the combined armed forces of the West, which is what a Russian attack on a NATO country would bring. Enough of the empty threats Vlad. Shut up and fight the Ukies.

[TexasFreeper2009]

truth!

[Qwapisking]

“fellow Christian nation”? these newnided States of ‘murica left THAT fold when the propagation of immorality, infanticide, rampant drug abuse and constitutional Ignorance took root. many here are Russia as “the enemy” because of our own hatred of their different view of “American values” but Honestly...WHAT American values are left? Homosexuality is an American value? transing adolescents via butchery is an American value? since when is the lying, cheating, lawfare and ineptitude of our leaders the American values that used to be “Truth,Justice and the American Way of Honesty, integrity and Rightousness? “Russia made a deal with the devil...but that was before WE became the devil” applies. go ahead Mr., Mrs and ms freeper...PROVE me wrong.

[ABStrauss]

Biden doesn’t care, because he can’t.

He’s spent his adult life screwing his state and this nation as he has no regard for the land of his birth or its people.

[Gen.Blather]

The KGB used the Mafia to aggregate power to itself. Putin uses the Mafia and the Chechen’s to intimidate and/or murder anyone in his way. After the Soviet Union fell there were daily murders, daylight robberies and kidnappings in the streets. The Russian government brought it under control by incorporating the Mafia into the government.

I’m reminded of the old Star Trek episode where the entire planetary government was modeled on a book about the Chicago gains of the 1920’s. Since we can’t even control the crime and criminal politicians in our own cities what could we have done about Russia’s problems? There never was an opportunity for the West to intercede. As for Christianity, that died under Stalin, who replaced the Church’s leadership with NKVD operatives. Notice the Russian church patriarch is fully and vocally a Putin and war supporter.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

This pisses me off so damn much. Yep, this is so so so much better than Trump calling Putin a friend and having Putin neutralized. “OMG he called Putin a friend! He is obviously Putins lap dog!”
I guess the DemoMarxists/RINOs never heard the saying “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” freakin schmucks.

We had a genius in deal making, negotiation, as President and now we got this nightmare. A brain dead corpse who in not even 4 years has brought us to the brink of nuclear armageddon. I am absolutely disgusted.

Think of all the lives lost in the past 3.5 years because these elitist snobs in the Rat/RINO uniparty didn’t like it that a real estate developer could barge in on their clique.

I know EXACTLY the kind, I use to work for a company where the top execs acted like little girls, it was unbelievable, grown men treating new hires, or new execs like outsiders “Oh my did you see his shoes? And look how he combs his hair! On my!”

They called one guy “Harry Potter” solely because the frames on the lenses of his glasses were round. Just real superficial little girl nitpicking. This is exactly the kind of mincing, efette low lives giving Trump and this country trouble and they need to be brought to task.

[Pox]

The “values” pushed and paraded by the left, amplified and backed by our illustrious media, do not reflect the beliefs or actions of the majority of Americans.

Our government is the issue.

[Who is John Galt?]

...Putin’s Russia is having great difficulty subdoing one of its neighbors. It stands no chance against the combined armed forces of the West, which is what a Russian attack on a NATO country would bring...

That might more accurately be phrased as, "Russian conventional forces stand no chance against the combined armed forces of the West" - which is why the "PUTIN IS HITLER!" argument never justified any substantial US intervention in the Ukraine conflict. As the US & NATO continue to increase their involvement in the war, however, the risk that nuclear weapons might be used (either purposely or accidentally) also increases, and Russian nuclear forces could indeed inflict fatal damage on the West.

If one is offering advice to the world's political leaders, Joe Biden might benefit as well: "Enough of borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars from our grandkids, and shipping it to third world swamps, Joe; just shut up and eat your ice cream!"

;>)

[Vermont Lt]

It’s actually 333 miles from Havana to Tampa.

There is one Russian warship in Cuba. And a tug boat. Russian ships have been sailing to Havana for decades.

It’s not very scary. Why are you guys all flummoxed over this?

[Chad C. Mulligan]

We made a grave mistake not taking advantage of the dissolution of the USSR/Soviet Union (which we accomplished at great cost) to cultivate cooperative relationships with Russia, a fellow Christian nation.

We tried. Russia rejected us, or rather their kleptocratic elites did. The EU for example talked and talked with Russia about accession, but three key requirements to join the EU are Rule of Law, a succession principle guaranteeing orderly transfer of power from one leader to the next, and a market economy. Russia flatly refused on all three counts.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I believe that the “United States” is a diverse and multifaceted enterprise, but on the whole, Americans welcomed Russia into the family of free nations, and wished Russians, and Russia the best. There was bound to be friction and misunderstandings. Russians had been closed off from much of the world for seventy years, and exposed to far-fetched propaganda for decades.

Russians suffered from a loss of status, from being a major world player because of their military might, to being a non entity, because of their feeble economy. There arose a false nostalgia for the era of Stalin, when Russia had the world’s most powerful army in the world, and flush with victory over Hitler bestrode the world with confidence and pride.

What did freedom offer? The opportunity to see how backward and insignificant they really were.

The newly liberated republics to their west embraced freedom, and rejected Russia and its history for the most part, rubbing salt in the wound. Estonians saw them as enslaving brutes, worse than the Nazis. Poland, and the other Baltics, likewise.

Of course, the break up of the Soviet Union was followed by giddy self-indulgence in the west, with silly and unserious leaders like Clinton. Clinton was as irresponsible in statesmanship as he was in his personal life. And he oozed condescension and unctuousness. It would have been hard to have chosen a worse leader at this delicate time, unless we had chosen Biden.

[adorno]

Putin needs to learn a thing or two from Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda uses our own planes as missiles that destroyed our capitalist symbols in downtown Manhattan, and killed close to 3,000 Americans. All he needs is to get a bunch of Russians or Al-Qaeda buddies to cross our southern border and then have them trained to turn airliners into missiles. That would be a lot more stealthy than moving missiles close to where they could be spotted easily. And Putin could have his people smuggled into the U.S. a lot more easily with a brain-dead president who is encouraging our enemies to come and destroy us. But, Putin is just sabre-rattling, again, and means us well.

[Chad C. Mulligan]

go ahead Mr., Mrs and ms freeper...PROVE me wrong.

Not worth the trouble.

[Who is John Galt?]

... All he needs is to get a bunch of Russians or Al-Qaeda buddies to cross our southern border and then have them trained to turn airliners into missiles. That would be a lot more stealthy than moving missiles close to where they could be spotted easily. And Putin could have his people smuggled into the U.S. a lot more easily with a brain-dead president who is encouraging our enemies to come and destroy us. But, Putin is just sabre-rattling, again, and means us well.

"Sabre-rattling" and covert operations are not mutually exclusive - and in fact, the Russian naval exercise appears to be designed to draw attention.

;>)

[ABStrauss]

Does this act of sword rattling concern Junkyard Joe?

Not a whit!

This herculean jack-of-all-trades can handle any calamity, excepting crapping in his pants.

[adorno]

in fact, the Russian naval exercise appears to be designed to draw attention.

IOW, not meant to be a real threat, since, what is seen directly can be planned against and easily overcome. It's like a military parade of weapons in the streets of Moscow.

[JoSixChip]

Enough of the empty threats Vlad. Shut up and fight the Ukies.

Where do you freaks come from? How do you think we started the Ukrainian war in the first place?

[Allegra]

Excellent post. You nailed it.

[EandH Dad]

There’s a better than even chance the rooskies already have nukes deployed within range. If we don’t have subs deployed within range of the Kremlin then we’re missing a really good opportunity. Nice of Vlad to bring a warship close enough for us to do some serious elint surveillance. I remember rooskie trawlers sitting just outside the three mile limit listening to war games on the Carolina coast. Ah, the good ol’ days.