According to Russian News Agency and RT, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated at the annual meeting of the Valdai International Debating Club on October 1 local time that a moment when everything cannot be changed may soon arrive. "We must recognize that that moment when everything cannot be changed may soon, and unexpectedly, come before everyone. The logic of escalating and harsh mutual countermeasures leads to fatal irreversible consequences."
On that day, he also said, “Can we be sure that this kind of weapon will never be used? Of course not. We all know that famous saying: If a gun is hung on the wall at the beginning of a play, it will eventually be fired. We must take this possibility into consideration and prevent such a situation from happening.”
RT pointed out that Putin did not directly name nuclear weapons, but the context of his speech and the metaphor itself point to a nuclear arsenal. Putin has repeatedly emphasized that Russia views nuclear weapons as the last resort for defending national sovereignty.
