A video shared on Facebook purports to show a recent speech from Russian President Vladimir Putin in which he said Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will lead to nuclear war.
Verdict: False
The claim is false. The original video stems from the Daily Mail and is included in a February 2022 article published by the outlet.
Fact Check:
Putin told Western countries they will be “provoking a nuclear war” if they send troops to fight in Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing conflict with the country, according to Reuters. Putin issued the warning on Feb. 29 during an assembly of Russian lawmakers, the outlet reported.
The Facebook video purports to show a recent speech from Putin in which he says Ukraine joining NATO will lead to nuclear war. “If Ukraine joins NATO and attempts to bring Crimea back by military, it means the European countries will automatically be pulled into a war conflict with Russia,” the video’s caption reads in part.
“Of course, NATO and Russia’s potentials are incomparable. We understand it. But we also understand that Russia is one of the leading nuclear states. And with some modern components, it even outperforms many. There will be no winners. And you will be pulled into this conflict against your will. You won’t even have time to blink your eye when you execute Article 5,” it continues.
Besides Facebook, the video
also circulated on X, where it has garnered over 500,000 views as of writing.
The video does not show a recent speech from Putin, however. The original video stems from the
Daily Mail and is included in a
February 2022 article published by the outlet. The speech from Putin followed a meeting between the Russian President and French President Emmanuel Macron in which the pair are said to have discussed a potential deal about Ukraine, according to the outlet. A Kremlin spokesperson denied a deal had been reached, the outlet indicated.
Article 5 of NATO focuses on “collective defense” and
states that if a “NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, each and every other member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack against all members and will take the actions it deems necessary to assist the Ally attacked.”
Check Your Fact has contacted the Kremlin for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
