NATO Drills Near Kaliningrad Prompt Putin's Nuclear Warning

Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to use all weapons, including nuclear arms, if NATO attacks Russian territory, citing recent military exercises near Kaliningrad. He made the statement Thursday at the Valdai Discussion Club forum in Moscow. Putin referenced NATO's defensive drills near Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania, calling the exercises an escalation. He said a direct attack on Russia would inevitably raise the question of using the country's entire arsenal. The threat comes as Russia's war in Ukraine enters its fifth year. Putin acknowledged Ukrainian strikes have cut Russia's GDP by one percent, while Russia plans to increase defense spending to $205 billion by 2027.