Kremlin says Russia would use ‘entire arsenal’ to defend Kaliningrad

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - MOSCOW — Russia would use its entire available weapons arsenal to defend the Kaliningrad region if it faced a threat from other countries, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday.

Speaking to Vesti, Peskov rejected suggestions that Moscow had threatened to use nuclear weapons, saying Russia’s position had been portrayed differently by Western countries.

“We said that this is a region of Russia, and in the event of some kind of threat — and we have heard many statements from hotheads in Poland and other countries — Russia will use its entire available arsenal of weapons. This is not a threat at all,” Peskov said.

Turning to the war in Ukraine, Peskov said Russia would continue fighting as long as a peaceful resolution remained impossible, while maintaining that Moscow preferred a negotiated settlement.

“We want peace, and for us it is preferable to achieve it by peaceful means. But while this is impossible, we will fight and fight relentlessly,” he said.

“Those who deem it possible to make plans to deliver a crushing blow to Russia will pay a price for it, as Ukraine is paying now,” Peskov added.

The Kremlin spokesman also said Russia was prepared to continue fighting over even a fraction of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

“Even if it were half a percent, or one-hundredth of a percent — this is the Russian Federation. There is nothing to discuss here,” he said.