MOSCOW, November 22. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement has demonstrated the futility of Western countries' hopes that Moscow will falter and also shown that Russia is prepared for any eventuality, a Valdai International Discussion Club expert said.

"[It was] an exceptionally strong statement, a clear signal to Western countries that they had better stop, reconsider their decision on long-range strikes deep into Russian territory, and prevent further escalation, which Russia is ready for and to which Russia will respond," Dmitry Suslov said, commenting on the Russian president's statement.

"Putin's statement carried a very important message: Russia is prepared for further escalation by the West. If anyone in the West believes Russia will waver, they are mistaken. Russia is ready for any development of events," the expert added.

Suslov pointed to a crucial message in Putin's speech: "Russia firmly believes that the West has moved from a proxy war to a direct war" and that the sides are already "in a state of global conflict."

Suslov explained that their range allows them to "certainly reach" any European target.

"Here, in order to avoid this, it is best for the West to de-escalate and reconsider its decision to strike Russian territory and halt any future strikes," Suslov concluded.

On Thursday evening, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a statement announcing the use of the latest Oreshnik hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile with a non-nuclear warhead against a defense industry site in Ukraine’s Dnepr (formerly known as Dnepropetrovsk). According to him, this was in response to strikes on Russian territory by long-range American and British weapons. The Russian leader emphasized that the development of intermediate-range and medium-range missiles is being pursued by Russia in connection with US plans to produce and deploy such weapons in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

Putin called the US decision to unilaterally withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty a critical mistake. He also emphasized that Russia has the right to use weapons against the military facilities of those countries that use their weapons against Russian assets. At the same time, Putin pointed out that in case of further retaliatory use of missiles such as the Oreshnik missile on Ukrainian territory, Russia will proactively offer civilians and citizens of friendly countries the option to leave danger zones.