Putin Rejects Ceasefire on Long-Range Strikes Amid Intensified Kyiv Bombardment

Putin threatened nuclear retaliation if the West jeopardized the Russian Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.

1 October 2026

Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed any ceasefire regarding long-range strikes against Ukraine, even as Moscow intensifies its aerial bombardment of Kyiv.

“We are told, ‘Let them stop striking your refineries, and you will stop striking their ships.’ That is simply absurd,” Putin stated at the Valdai political forum in Moscow on Thursday.

These comments came after a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York on September 22, where Zelenskyy offered to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries and energy facilities in exchange for Moscow doing the same.

Addressing the Moscow-based think tank, Putin claimed Ukraine had “partially achieved its objectives” through the refinery strikes, which he said cost Russia one percent of its GDP, though he insisted Russia was now retaliating proportionally.

Moscow has escalated long-range strikes, focusing on Ukraine’s steel industry and supply chains, particularly the rail sector. Kyiv accuses Moscow of deliberately targeting civilians and maintaining the capital in a perpetual state of alert as it prepares for a harsh winter.

A Russian drone struck a school in Kyiv on Thursday, according to city officials, as the capital endured relentless aerial bombardment. No injuries were reported, as children and staff were sheltered at the time of impact.

Putin stated that Russia prefers to resolve the conflict through negotiations and envisions Ukraine as a neutral nation once hostilities conclude.

He warned the West against escalating the Ukraine standoff by threatening the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, situated between Poland and Lithuania, pledging to defend the territory with nuclear weapons if necessary.

“If a direct attack occurs against the Russian Federation—specifically Kaliningrad, and potentially other territories—the question of deploying all available weaponry will inevitably and immediately arise,” he warned.

Putin’s remarks followed a diplomatic note NATO received from Russia this week, warning that Moscow would resort to nuclear weapons if NATO attempted to sever access to its Baltic exclave.

Putin cautioned that cycles of international escalation could rapidly lead to dangerous scenarios. “We must understand that the moment when nothing can be altered may arrive swiftly and unexpectedly for all. The logic of escalating, increasingly severe retaliatory measures leads to a fatal point of no return,” he said.

Conversely, Putin suggested that in a “favourable scenario,” seized assets of Western companies could be returned. Last month, he ordered the seizure of businesses belonging to Swiss food giant Nestle, French retailer Auchan, the former Leroy Merlin DIY chain, and German wholesaler Metro.

Source link