Putin says he sees no current threat to Russia that warrants the use of nuclear arms
President Vladimir Putin says that he sees no current threat to Russia’s sovereignty that would warrant the use of nuclear weapons but has again warned that Moscow could send arms to countries or groups to strike Western targets
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — President Vladimir Putin said Friday that he sees no current threat to Russia’s sovereignty that would warrant the use of nuclear weapons but again warned that Moscow could send arms to countries or groups to strike Western targets.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said use of nuclear weapons is only possible in “exceptional cases” and that he does not believe “such a case has arisen.” The Russian leader has repeatedly raised the specter of a nuclear attack since he sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.
On Friday, he repeated a warning made days earlier that Moscow “reserves the right” to arm Western adversaries as a response to some NATO allies allowing Ukraine to use their weapons to strike targets inside Russia.
“If they supply (weapons) to the combat zone and call for using these weapons against our territory, why don’t we have the right to do the same?” Putin asked.
“But I’m not ready to say that we will be doing it tomorrow, either,” Putin added, suggesting that it might affect global stability.
He didn’t specify where such arms might be sent. The U.S. has said that Russia has turned to North Korea and Iran to beef up its stock of relatively simple weapons, but Moscow could dip into its stock of high-tech missiles to share with adversaries of the West if Putin decides to fulfill his threat.
The United States and Germany recently authorized Ukraine to hit some targets on Russian soil with the long-range weapons they are supplying to
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