Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – In comments aired on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the situation has not necessitated the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine and expressed hope that it will not.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, fear of nuclear escalation has influenced U.S. officials’ considerations. Former CIA Director William Burns noted that there was a significant risk in late 2022 of Russia potentially using nuclear weapons against Ukraine.
Why does Putin believe nuclear weapons aren’t necessary?
In a recent clip from an interview with Russian state television shared on Telegram, Putin stated that Russia possesses the capability and resources to reach a “logical conclusion” in the Ukraine conflict.
In response to a question from a state television reporter regarding Ukrainian strikes on Russia, Putin said:
“There has been no need to use those (nuclear) weapons … and I hope they will not be required.”
He said:
“We have enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires.”
How serious are Shoigu’s warnings to the West?
On the other hand, a few days ago, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu claimed in an interview that Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if faced with ‘unfriendly actions.
He indicated that Moscow is “closely monitoring” the “military preparations” by European nations as they try to increase defense spending and production due to the U.S. scaling back its military presence in the region.
“In case foreign states commit unfriendly actions that threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, our country considers it legitimate to take symmetrical and asymmetrical measures necessary to suppress such actions and prevent their recurrence,”
he stated.
“Nuclear deterrence is carried out against states and military coalitions that regard Russia as a potential adversary, possess weapons of mass destruction or have significant combat capabilities of general-purpose forces,”
he also said.
Shoigu further stated that the Kremlin would view any deployment of European peacekeeping forces to Ukraine to monitor a ceasefire as a provocation.
Has Russia’s nuclear rhetoric changed since 2022?
In November 2024, Russia revised its official nuclear deterrence policy. The new guidelines state that the Kremlin retains the right to deploy nuclear weapons in reaction to aggression directed at itself or its closest ally, Belarus, regardless of whether the attack involves non-nuclear weapons.
Since the onset of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia has consistently issued nuclear threats toward Ukraine and the West. However, these threats have not come to fruition, and Russia persists in its extensive military campaign without deploying its nuclear capabilities.
