Vladimir Putin N-threat: Will wipe off any nation that attacks us

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed on Friday that any country that dared attack Russia with nuclear weapons would be wiped from the face of the earth.

Putin said Russia had no mandate to launch a preventative first nuclear strike, unlike the United States, but that Russia’s advanced hypersonic weapons would ensure Russia could respond forcefully if it ever came under attack. 

“Nothing would remain of any enemy who decides to attack russia with nuclear weapon...We regularly test our nuclear capabilities, we do not conceal anything,” he added.

Putin was also quoteed saying Russia would likely have to reach agreements regarding Ukraine in the future, but felt betrayed by the breakdown of the Minsk agreements. Putin said Germany and France - which brokered ceasefire agreements in the Belarusian capital Minsk between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and 2015 — had betrayed Russia and were now pumping Ukraine with weapons.

“We are ready for agreements...The question is, how to make deals, where are the guarantees,” he said. 

Russia may cut oil output in response to G-7 price cap

Russia may cut its oil production in response to the G-7 cap on the price of its crude.

A decision on Moscow’s response will be announced in a presidential decree within the next several days, Putin told reporters on state Rossiya 24 TV, providing no further details.