Australia’s Foreign Minister responds to alarming comment from Vladimir Putin

Australia’s Foreign Minister has reacted to a warning from Vladimir Putin that countries who interfere in the Russia-Ukraine conflict will face “consequences they have never seen”.

Neil Mitchell asked Foreign Minister Marise Payne about the chilling comment, which has been interpreted as a threat of nuclear strikes.

“Nothing that Vladimir Putin says can be taken to have any credit whatsoever,” she replied.

“So we should expect that he will continue on this effort to bring Ukraine back under authoritarian control. What means he uses for that we will watch very closely.”

Ms Payne condemned Russia’s invasion, which she said is “a very serious act of aggression”.

“It’s the worst we have seen in Europe in many decades,” she said.

“We should choose every lever we have to continue to place pressure on Russia.”

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