Germany says it will not be 'intimidated' by Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats
Germany said it was not deterred by Vladimir Putin’s threats to relaunch production of intermediate-range nuclear weapons if the US confirms its intention to deploy missiles to Europe.
Washington and Germany said earlier this month that the US would start deploying long-range fire capabilities in Germany in 2026 in an effort to demonstrate its commitment to Nato and European defence.
The US’s “episodic deployments” are in preparation for longer-term stationing of such capabilities that will include SM-6 and Tomahawk cruise missiles and developmental hypersonic weapons that have a longer range than current capabilities in Europe.
In a speech on Sunday, Putin told the US it risked triggering a cold war-style missile crisis with the move (you can read more about this here).
“We will consider ourselves liberated from the unilateral moratorium previously adopted on the deployment of medium- and short-range strike capabilities,” Putin said during a naval parade in St Petersburg.
“We will not be intimidated by such statements,” Germany’s foreign ministry spokesperson Sebastian Fischer told a government press conference on Monday when asked about the Russian president’s comments.
Over the past day, Russian soldiers have struck 573 strikes on 10 settlements in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, the regional governor, Ivan Fedorov, has said.
One person was injured as a result of Russian attacks in the Pologiv district, he added in the post on Telegram.
The frontline Zaporizhzhia region is reported to be under regular bombardment by rockets, drones and cannons launched by Russia.
