Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed that his country “does not want to enter into a direct confrontation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), but if someone wants that, Russia is ready for it.”
Putin said, during a press conference in St. Petersburg, “We are always ready for any scenario, but no one wants that, and on the initiative of the American side, we formed at a certain time a special mechanism to prevent clashes, and the heads of certain departments from both sides communicate directly and have the opportunity to consult on any crisis situation.”
He added, “No one wants any clashes, but if someone other than us wants that, we are ready.”
Regarding the Ukrainian counterattack, the Russian president stressed that it did not result in any major changes on the battlefield.
The Russian President’s statements came during a press conference to talk about the results of the second Russian-African summit, which took place in St. Petersburg last Thursday and Friday.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency