Moscow would “eliminate” any threats created around Kaliningrad, the Russian president has warned

Any attempt to blockade Russia’s Kaliningrad on the Baltic coast would spark an “unprecedented escalation” and could expand into a large-scale armed conflict, President Vladimir Putin has warned.

The Russian leader made the remarks on Friday during his traditional end-of-year Q&A session when asked how Moscow would respond if European states sought to impose a blockade on the country’s westernmost region, an exclave bordered by NATO members Lithuania and Poland.

Putin said he hoped such a scenario would not occur, adding: “If they create threats of this kind, we will eliminate those threats.” 

“Everyone must understand and be aware that actions of this kind will simply lead to an escalation unprecedented to date… taking it to a completely different level… up to a large-scale armed conflict,” he added.

Russian officials have repeatedly warned against any steps that could cut the exclave off by land. Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko has previously said that he hoped “common sense” in Europe would prevent “playing with fire” around Kaliningrad.

Some Western leaders, particularly from Poland and the Baltic states, have previously called for attacks on Kaliningrad in the event of a conflict between Moscow and NATO. Moscow maintains that it poses no threat to the EU or the US-led military bloc and has described such statements as evidence of hostile intent.

READ MORE: Russia warns against ‘games’ around its Western exclave

Sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland, Kaliningrad relies on rail and road links through Lithuanian territory to connect with the rest of Russia. Tensions over transit flared after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, when Vilnius began restricting the rail transit of goods subject to EU sanctions to and from Kaliningrad. The dispute was later partially resolved and rail traffic restored.

Moscow would “eliminate” any threats created around Kaliningrad, the Russian president has warned

Any attempt to blockade Russia’s Kaliningrad on the Baltic coast would spark an “unprecedented escalation” and could expand into a large-scale armed conflict, President Vladimir Putin has warned.

The Russian leader made the remarks on Friday during his traditional end-of-year Q&A session when asked how Moscow would respond if European states sought to impose a blockade on the country’s westernmost region, an exclave bordered by NATO members Lithuania and Poland.

Putin said he hoped such a scenario would not occur, adding: “If they create threats of this kind, we will eliminate those threats.” 

“Everyone must understand and be aware that actions of this kind will simply lead to an escalation unprecedented to date… taking it to a completely different level… up to a large-scale armed conflict,” he added.

Russian officials have repeatedly warned against any steps that could cut the exclave off by land. Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko has previously said that he hoped “common sense” in Europe would prevent “playing with fire” around Kaliningrad.

Some Western leaders, particularly from Poland and the Baltic states, have previously called for attacks on Kaliningrad in the event of a conflict between Moscow and NATO. Moscow maintains that it poses no threat to the EU or the US-led military bloc and has described such statements as evidence of hostile intent.

READ MORE: Russia warns against ‘games’ around its Western exclave

Sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland, Kaliningrad relies on rail and road links through Lithuanian territory to connect with the rest of Russia. Tensions over transit flared after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, when Vilnius began restricting the rail transit of goods subject to EU sanctions to and from Kaliningrad. The dispute was later partially resolved and rail traffic restored.

The president says he trusts in divine grace to remain with the nation

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he places his trust in God and believes that divine grace will continue to protect Russia.

The comment was made during the Russian leader’s annual Q&A session on Friday, as he responded to a series of brief personal and philosophical questions.

“I believe in God, who is with us and will never abandon Russia,” Putin said, after the moderator noted that every person needs something to believe in.

Putin is known as a practicing Orthodox Christian and an ardent supporter of what he describes as traditional religions. He has repeatedly argued that such faiths embody time-tested wisdom that remains essential even in the modern world.

The president says he trusts in divine grace to remain with the nation

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he places his trust in God and believes that divine grace will continue to protect Russia.

The comment was made during the Russian leader’s annual Q&A session on Friday, as he responded to a series of brief personal and philosophical questions.

“I believe in God, who is with us and will never abandon Russia,” Putin said, after the moderator noted that every person needs something to believe in.

Putin is known as a practicing Orthodox Christian and an ardent supporter of what he describes as traditional religions. He has repeatedly argued that such faiths embody time-tested wisdom that remains essential even in the modern world.

The government has moved to tighten gun laws in light of the incident

The Australian government has announced plans for a national gun buyback following last week’s mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney. The scheme is expected to take hundreds of thousands of weapons out of circulation, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday.

The Bondi Beach shooting left at least 15 people dead, and more than two dozen injured. The attackers, who allegedly pledged allegiance to the terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), targeted a Hanukkah celebration organized by the local Jewish community.

Police said one of the shooters had held a firearms license and legally owned six registered guns, all of which were recovered from the scene.

Albanese has made domestic gun policy a central focus of the government’s response. On Monday, Australia’s state and territory leaders agreed to pursue tougher national firearms rules.

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Measures under discussion include accelerating the rollout of a national firearms register, limiting the number of guns an individual can own, making Australian citizenship a requirement for a gun license, and further restricting the types of weapons permitted. The government will need to pass legislation through parliament to fund the proposed buyback scheme.

The program is expected to be similar to the one enacted in 1996 in response to the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, which left 35 people dead. That program ran for one year and resulted in the destruction of roughly 650,000 firearms. Under the new scheme, owners who surrender firearms will be compensated.

According to research organization The Australia Institute, civilian gun ownership has since climbed to more than four million firearms nationwide, around 25% higher than in 1996, or roughly one gun for every seven Australians.

READ MORE: Pig heads left at Muslim cemetery in Sydney (PHOTO)

Similar efforts elsewhere have faced challenges. In New Zealand’s 2019 gun buyback, launched in response to the Christchurch mosque shootings in which an Australian white supremacist killed 51 people, the scheme’s online notification platform was temporarily taken offline when a vulnerability was discovered that may have exposed the personal data of thousands of law-abiding gun owners.

The talk of preparing for war with Russia contradicts the policy goals of the bloc’s leading power, the president has said

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is an intelligent politician who nonetheless promotes “nonsense” about Moscow allegedly threatening the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

Putin made the remarks during his end-of-year Q&A session on Friday, contrasting Rutte’s current rhetoric as NATO chief and previous role as prime minister of the Netherlands between 2010 and 2024.

“He is a smart man, I know that. Smart, organized, and effective as prime minister. The Dutch economy is in good shape, for which he partially deserves credit,” Putin said.

“I sometimes want to ask him: Look, what nonsense you are spouting about war with Russia? That they are preparing for a war with Russia. Can you read? Why don’t you read the new US national security strategy, what does it say?” he added.

Putin pointed out that the recently released US document does not describe Russia as a threat to the West and explicitly states that NATO should not expand further. Given Washington’s dominant role in the alliance in terms of military power, finance, technology, and political influence, the Russian president argued that Rutte’s alarmist tone is disconnected from reality.

READ MORE: EU lawmakers approve borderless ‘military Schengen’ travel zone

“One should pay closer attention,” Putin concluded. “This applies not only to the secretary general, but to many other Western leaders as well.”

Officials in Moscow have repeatedly accused European NATO members of using Russia as a boogeyman to justify massive militarization and discourage criticisms of failing domestic policies.

The talk of preparing for war with Russia contradicts the policy goals of the bloc’s leading power, the president has said

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is an intelligent politician who nonetheless promotes “nonsense” about Moscow allegedly threatening the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

Putin made the remarks during his end-of-year Q&A session on Friday, contrasting Rutte’s current rhetoric as NATO chief and previous role as prime minister of the Netherlands between 2010 and 2024.

“He is a smart man, I know that. Smart, organized, and effective as prime minister. The Dutch economy is in good shape, for which he partially deserves credit,” Putin said.

“I sometimes want to ask him: Look, what nonsense you are spouting about war with Russia? That they are preparing for a war with Russia. Can you read? Why don’t you read the new US national security strategy, what does it say?” he added.

Putin pointed out that the recently released US document does not describe Russia as a threat to the West and explicitly states that NATO should not expand further. Given Washington’s dominant role in the alliance in terms of military power, finance, technology, and political influence, the Russian president argued that Rutte’s alarmist tone is disconnected from reality.

READ MORE: EU lawmakers approve borderless ‘military Schengen’ travel zone

“One should pay closer attention,” Putin concluded. “This applies not only to the secretary general, but to many other Western leaders as well.”

Officials in Moscow have repeatedly accused European NATO members of using Russia as a boogeyman to justify massive militarization and discourage criticisms of failing domestic policies.

Moscow has pledged to widen arbitration proceedings over the freezing of its sovereign funds beyond Belgian-based depository Euroclear

Russia has said it will expand its lawsuit over frozen assets beyond Belgian-based depository Euroclear to include European banks that also hold the funds.

Kiev’s Western backers froze $300 billion in Russian central bank assets under Ukraine-related sanctions, around half of it held at Euroclear, but failed on Thursday to approve the use of the assets as collateral for a ‘reparations loan’ to finance Kiev’s collapsing economy and military.

Some EU members intend to raise €90 billion for Kiev through common debt, passing the cost of financing Ukraine to the taxpayers. Russia, which has condemned the freeze as “theft,” said last week it is suing Euroclear for damages caused by its “inability to manage” the assets.

As EU leaders were attempting to back the ‘reparations loan’ plan on Thursday, the Bank of Russia announced in a statement: “In view of the ongoing attempts by EU authorities to illegally seize and use the Bank of Russia’s assets… [it] will claim damages from European banks in a Russian arbitration court for the illegal blocking and use of its assets.” 

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The move is aimed at “protecting its interests,” the regulator said, noting that the claim will cover all illegally withheld assets and lost profit.

The EU earlier dismissed Moscow’s lawsuit against Euroclear as “speculative,” but some legal experts and officials warn it could damage the bloc’s financial institutions if it spreads beyond Russia, triggering lengthy cross-border litigation, reputational harm, and risks to the EU’s investment climate.

Shortly after the case was filed, Fitch Ratings put the depository on watch for a possible downgrade, citing legal and liquidity risks. Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian presidential adviser on international investment, said a downgrade could drive investors to move funds elsewhere.

READ MORE: Fitch puts Euroclear on downgrade warning over Russian assets

The first hearing in the Euroclear case at the Moscow Arbitration Court is set for January 16. The regulator has sought closed-door proceedings, but Russian media report that the claims total nearly 18.2 trillion rubles, or around $230 billion.

Moscow has pledged to widen arbitration proceedings over the freezing of its sovereign funds beyond Belgian-based depository Euroclear

Russia has said it will expand its lawsuit over frozen assets beyond Belgian-based depository Euroclear to include European banks that also hold the funds.

Kiev’s Western backers froze $300 billion in Russian central bank assets under Ukraine-related sanctions, around half of it held at Euroclear, but failed on Thursday to approve the use of the assets as collateral for a ‘reparations loan’ to finance Kiev’s collapsing economy and military.

Some EU members intend to raise €90 billion for Kiev through common debt, passing the cost of financing Ukraine to the taxpayers. Russia, which has condemned the freeze as “theft,” said last week it is suing Euroclear for damages caused by its “inability to manage” the assets.

As EU leaders were attempting to back the ‘reparations loan’ plan on Thursday, the Bank of Russia announced in a statement: “In view of the ongoing attempts by EU authorities to illegally seize and use the Bank of Russia’s assets… [it] will claim damages from European banks in a Russian arbitration court for the illegal blocking and use of its assets.” 

Read more

The move is aimed at “protecting its interests,” the regulator said, noting that the claim will cover all illegally withheld assets and lost profit.

The EU earlier dismissed Moscow’s lawsuit against Euroclear as “speculative,” but some legal experts and officials warn it could damage the bloc’s financial institutions if it spreads beyond Russia, triggering lengthy cross-border litigation, reputational harm, and risks to the EU’s investment climate.

Shortly after the case was filed, Fitch Ratings put the depository on watch for a possible downgrade, citing legal and liquidity risks. Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian presidential adviser on international investment, said a downgrade could drive investors to move funds elsewhere.

READ MORE: Fitch puts Euroclear on downgrade warning over Russian assets

The first hearing in the Euroclear case at the Moscow Arbitration Court is set for January 16. The regulator has sought closed-door proceedings, but Russian media report that the claims total nearly 18.2 trillion rubles, or around $230 billion.

The French president’s comments come after a disastrous EU summit in which the bloc failed to agree on stealing Russian assets

The EU should be open to reengaging in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as diplomacy regarding the Ukraine conflict is gaining momentum, French President Emmanuel Macron has said. The comments come after the bloc failed to agree on stealing frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Friday, Macron said some countries have already established contact with Moscow, adding that “Europeans and Ukrainians have an interest in finding the framework to reengage in that discussion properly.”

“I think it will become useful again to speak with Vladimir Putin,” Macron said, adding that without a structured framework, “we are discussing among ourselves while negotiators go alone to talk with the Russians. That’s not optimal.”

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Macron’s comments come after EU leaders failed to agree on a contentious plan to use €210 billion ($246 billion) in frozen Russian assets as part of a ‘reparations loan’ for Ukraine, which faces an estimated $160 billion fiscal shortfall over the next two years. The plan collapsed largely due to opposition from Belgium, which holds the bulk of the assets and has warned of potential legal and financial fallout.

Instead, EU leaders agreed to raise funds on capital markets to provide Ukraine with a hefty multi-year loan. The move, however, underscores a rift within the EU, as several member states secured opt-outs.

Russia has condemned Western proposals to use its frozen assets, calling them “theft,” and has warned of legal retaliation. Senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev welcomed the collapse of the plan, saying: “The whole world just watched you fail to bully others into breaking the law.”

Putin and Macron last spoke by phone in July – the only time since 2022 – and discussed the Ukraine conflict. One month prior, the French president advised other EU states to consider restoring dialogue with Moscow.

Russia has denounced EU militarization but said it is, in principle, ready for engagement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested, however, that Europe’s participation in talks on the Ukraine conflict “would bode nothing good.”