Putin says West cannot 'outgun' Russia in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin says in an interview that China and Russia have not formed a military alliance, but rather they have engaged in military cooperation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a Russian media interview on Saturday, stressed that despite the West's multi-billion-dollar-worth campaigns supplying Ukraine with weapons to support their proxy war, the US and Europeans will not be able to outgun Russia.
Putin explained that the West has been attempting to "create a new Axis", similar to what Nazi Germany did before WWII, recalling what he had said in a previous interview about NATO agreeing to a new strategic concept bloc.
“Last year, NATO agreed on a new strategic concept for the development of the alliance, directly stating that the bloc intends to develop relations with countries of the Asia-Pacific region… And they are directly listed, these countries, such as New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, and others... And they announced that they will create a global NATO", Putin said.
Military alliances
Putin also commented on the British-Japanese relations development in military fields, referencing the agreement reached at the beginning of the year. These relations, according to Putin, are why "Western analysts themselves are saying that the West is starting to build a new axis, similar to the one that was created back in the 30s by the fascist regimes in Germany and Italy, and militaristic Japan."
When asked about the Russian-Chinese relations and whether they are, as West media claims, creating a new axis to face the West, Putin said the two countries are not threatening any third country and that they have not been creating a military alliance, but rather "cooperate in the military-technical sphere."
"We [Russia and China] do not hide it, everything is transparent," Putin said, adding "There is nothing secret there," as he referenced Russia and China's conduct joint exercises. However, Putin also noted that similarly, Moscow conducts drills with other countries, too.
West arming Ukraine cannot outgun Russia
When asked about the US and European campaigns to arm Ukraine in order to prolong their proxy war against Russia, Putin said the West will not be able to deliver enough weapons for Kiev to outgun Moscow. Putin was also asked if these weapons were considered a "threat" by Moscow, to which he replied, "threats exist, of course."
The Russian President further explained, "When weapons are supplied to a country we are in conflict with, this is always a threat. As far as how they can be assessed, of course, we know about the plans to supply them."
It is worth noting that Moscow has repeatedly warned the West against these deliveries, warning that they will have significant regional and global security consequences.
"We are concerned about [weapons deliveries] from the perspective that this is an attempt to prolong the conflict," Putin said, noting that "from the point of view of the logic of those who provoked this conflict and are trying to preserve it at any cost, [the supply of weapons] is probably the right decision. But in my opinion, this will only lead to a greater tragedy."
Only NATO use depleted uranium shells in armed conflicts: Russian MoD
Depleted uranium ammunition was used exclusively by NATO countries in armed conflicts, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of the radiation, chemical, and biological defense troops of the Russian armed forces, pointed out earlier on Friday.
On Tuesday, UK Minister of State for Defense Annabel Goldie announced that the country will provide Ukraine with depleted uranium tank ammunition, including armor-piercing shells for Challenger 2 battle tanks.
On Wednesday, the US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby, claimed that this kind of ammunition is fairly commonplace and has been used for decades.
"It should be noted that depleted uranium ammunition was used exclusively by NATO countries in armed conflicts," Kirillov said.
Read more: US claims depleted uranium shells been in use for decades