Vladimir Putin says Russia faces "an enemy (NATO) twice our size" in Ukraine war

Speaking at Moscow's Valdai Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that global tensions could escalate to an irreversible threshold and stressed avoiding use of the most destructive weapons. He described the Ukraine war as something Russia had to undertake to protect itself, and said Moscow would use all available arms, including its nuclear stockpile, if Kaliningrad were directly attacked. Putin said Russia does not plan to attack European nations and wants peaceful relations, but assessed NATO as the opposing alliance and said Russia would lean on its own military advantages, noting France and Britain have nuclear arsenals while claiming Russia alone holds certain weapons. He also discussed a possible meeting with China's Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump and said Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities had reduced Russia's GDP by 1 percent, with Russia answering similarly.