Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia would use "all weapons at the disposal of our country" if there were a direct attack on Kaliningrad, its Baltic Sea exclave, or possibly other Russian territories. Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club, an annual Moscow foreign policy forum, he insisted Russia was "not threatening anyone" and would not attack first.

Putin confirmed that Russia had sent a statement and letters to some embassies on the issue. Earlier this week, Russian embassies in Ireland and Belgium published messages accusing NATO of an unprecedented build-up of military activity around Kaliningrad. The Irish embassy wrote on X that Russia would be ready to use its entire arsenal, including nuclear weapons, if NATO states tried to cut the region off from the rest of Russia, and that it might carry out preventive strikes on "decision-making centres" early in a conflict. Moscow has presented no evidence of such a plan. Putin said any blockade would be met with all means and forces, including nuclear ones, and that naval manoeuvres in the Baltic posed serious threats. He described the statements as a response to Western politicians who talk of preparing for war with Russia in 2029 or 2030, and said European governments were stoking tension to distract from economic and political problems at home. He also said he did not expect strikes on countries that supply weapons to Ukraine, though he called that supply a threat Russia was monitoring closely.

Kaliningrad, home to about a million people, lies between Poland and Lithuania, both NATO members, and is separated from Russian ally Belarus by roughly 70 kilometres. The land between them, known as the Suwalki Gap, is the only land link between Poland and the Baltic states, and Western officials have long feared Russia could try to seize it. Germany has stationed a tank brigade in Lithuania partly for this scenario, and Lithuania's prime minister has said his country has evacuation plans.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he did not take the threats too seriously. He called Russian messaging "not called for and not helpful", stressed that NATO is a defensive alliance and said none of its exercises threatens Russia. NATO diplomats suspect Moscow wants to distract from the war in Ukraine and sway Western publics. Rutte said Europe was "not at peace", citing a growing number of hybrid attacks blamed on Russia, such as drone incursions and sabotage. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany was preparing for serious hybrid attacks after an explosives-armed drone was found at Leipzig airport in August.

In the same speech, Putin again blamed the West for the war in Ukraine, which Russia launched in February 2022, and said conflicts would likely continue. He also warned of the risks of AI-driven warfare. The exchange shows how rhetoric over the Baltic region is sharpening as both sides accuse each other of escalation.