Russia-Ukraine war live: Putin rules out attacks on Nato countries

Russia denies any intention to attack NATO countries, according to President Putin

In a statement released on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin assured that Russia has no plans to attack NATO member countries such as Poland, the Baltic states, or the Czech Republic. However, he warned that any F-16 fighters supplied by the West to Ukraine will be shot down by Russian forces. These comments come amidst increasing tensions between Russia and the US-led military alliance, with Moscow accusing the US of supporting Ukraine against Russia. President Putin stated that Russia considers the deployment of F-16s to Ukraine as a potential threat and warned that they would be targeted if used from airfields in third countries. He also claimed that F-16 fighters could potentially carry nuclear weapons. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had earlier announced that the aircraft should arrive in Ukraine in the coming months, with Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands among the countries pledging to donate F-16s.