‘Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons’, President Putin’s veiled warning to the US
Putin’s statement on Wednesday comes ahead of this week’s presidential elections.
Russian nuclear weapons: As the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, President Vladimir Putin made a big, bold statement Wednesday saying Russia is willing to use nuclear weapons if there is a threat to its statehood, sovereignty or independence.
There is speculation that President Putin made this worrying statement, expressing hope that the US and NATO would refrain from actions that could trigger a nuclear conflict.
Putin’s statement on Wednesday comes ahead of this week’s presidential election, in which he is certain to win another six-year term.
The former KGB described US President Joe Biden in an interview with Russian state television early Wednesday as an experienced politician who fully understands the potential dangers of any escalation and said he does not think the world is heading towards nuclear war. .
He stressed that Russia’s nuclear forces are in full readiness and “from a military-technical point of view we are prepared,” adding that Moscow, in line with the country’s security doctrine, is ready to use nuclear weapons in case of a threat to “ the survival of the country”. of the Russian state, our sovereignty and independence.”
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the subsequent armed conflict between the two neighbors, the Russian leader has repeatedly spoken of his willingness to use nuclear weapons. The latest threat came in his state of the nation speech last month, when he warned the West that deepening his involvement in the fighting in Ukraine would risk nuclear war.
When asked in the interview whether he had ever considered using nuclear weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine, Putin said there was no need for it.
He also expressed confidence that Moscow will achieve its goals in Ukraine and kept the door open for talks, stressing that Russia will maintain its gains and seek firm guarantees from the West.
“It should not be a pause for the enemy to rearm, but a serious conversation about security guarantees for the Russian Federation,” he said, adding that a recent spike in Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside Russia is part of the attempts to derail the Russian Federation. three-day presidential elections, which begin Friday.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities reported another major attack by Ukrainian drones early Wednesday, when the country’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses had shot down 58 drones over six regions.
However, one drone hit an oil refinery in the Ryazan region, injuring at least two people and causing a fire. Another drone was shot down as it approached a refinery near St. Petersburg.
Ukraine, meanwhile, reported more Russian attacks early Wednesday, with a Russian strike killing two people and wounding another five in the city of Myrnohrad in the eastern Donetsk region, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. Local rescuers managed to pull a 13-year-old girl from the rubble of an apartment building that was hit by a Russian missile.
In President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown of the central Dnipropetrovsk region, the death toll from a Russian missile attack the night before rose to four.
(With PTI inputs)