President Vladimir Putin of Russia has said that the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine had not arisen, expressing hope thst it would not arise.
Putin made these comments in a broadcast on Sunday.
The Russian leader, in a fragment of an upcoming interview with Russian state television published on Telegram, said that Russia has the strength and the means to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a logical conclusion.
While responding to a question about Ukrainian strikes on Russia from a state television reporter, Putin said there had been no need to use those nuclear weapons, stressing that he hopes they would not be required.
“We have enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires,”; he said.
In February 2022, Putin ordered tens of thousands of Russian troops into Ukraine, in what the Kremlin calls a special military operation”;against its neighbour.
Though Russian troops were repelled from Kyiv, Moscow’s forces currently control around 20% of Ukraine, including much of the south and east.
The Kremlin leader has in recent weeks expressed willingness to negotiate a peace settlement, as US President Donald Trump has said he wants to end the conflict via diplomatic means.
Fear of nuclear escalation is said to have since been a factor in US officials’ thinking since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022.
According to former CIA Director William Burns, there was a real risk in late 2022 that Russia could use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.
