MOSCOW, Russia (NBC) – Russian President Vladimir Putin took a swipe at America’s politics during his annual speech to Parliament in Moscow Wednesday.
Putin said that Russia was not seeking confrontation with the U.S., but added that U.S. leaders are oblivious to the changing world and are holding on to destructive politics.
The Russian president went on to say he’ll respond to any U.S. deployment of short or intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe by targeting not only the countries where they are stationed, but the United States itself.
Wednesday’s remarks were his toughest yet in a potential new arms race.
He repeated that Russia wanted good ties with the United States, but was ready with its defensive response, if necessary. And if it comes to that, Putin said, Russia’s reaction would be resolute and that U.S. policy-makers should calculate the risks before taking any steps.
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