Putin says NATO deployments in Pacific pose threat to Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday that NATO's plans to send new weapons to the Indo-Pacific region are creating a growing risk of conflict and constitute a threat to Russia. He said NATO is "making inroads" in the area, though he did not specify which systems were involved.

The United States has recently deployed F-35 fighter jets to northern Japan and tested a long-range missile from a Typhon system in the Philippines. Other NATO members, including Italy, have also sent ships and aircraft to the Pacific, and joint exercises with the U.S. Pacific Fleet have involved thirty nations.

A NATO spokesperson responded that the alliance is defensive and poses "no—zero—threat to Russia."

During the remarks, Putin observed drills by Russia's Pacific Fleet near Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on Sakhalin Island. Recent satellite images show that Russia has installed anti-drone nets over submarines at its Rybachiy base in Kamchatka, a hub for its nuclear-armed submarine fleet.

The protective measures follow Ukraine's recent drone and missile attacks on Russian naval facilities, including a strike on the Novorossiysk base that President Volodymyr Zelensky described as the last major Black Sea stronghold.

"New weapons systems that also create threats to our country are being deployed and are planned for deployment here," Putin said.

The developments highlight heightened security concerns on both sides of the conflict.