Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened during a meeting with military bloggers on Tuesday to use depleted uranium in response if necessary, indicating that the objectives of Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine may evolve based on developments but will not generally change. He expressed regret that "there are many people in the United States who want a third world war," affirming: "We have our peace plan for Ukraine and have never rejected talks that could lead to a peaceful settlement."
Putin stated that Ukraine has suffered significant losses, estimated to be "ten times greater than Russia's losses," mentioning that Ukraine lost 25-30 percent of the vehicles it received from the West and 160 tanks compared to Russia's loss of 54 tanks. He noted that his country is considering withdrawing from the grain supply agreement through the Black Sea, adding that Moscow has been "deceived" regarding the implementation of parts of the agreement related to its exports.
He said that the agreement, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, aimed to assist "friendly" countries in Africa and Latin America, but Europe has become the largest importer of Ukrainian grain, which has become a major source of foreign currency for Kyiv.
Putin accused Ukraine of deliberately shelling the Kakhovka dam with HIMARS rockets, stating: "The key to resolving the conflict lies with the West, and the only way to end it is for Western countries to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine."
He expressed Russia's openness to peace talks regarding Ukraine "but the only way to stop the conflict is for Western countries to halt their military supplies to Kyiv." Putin renewed his accusations against the West of seeking to defeat Russia in Ukraine, claiming that Moscow has its own "peace plan" for the country.
