MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a comment aired on Sunday that the need for nuclear weapons in Ukraine has not appeared and he hopes it won’t.
In an interview with Russian state television published in the telegram, Putin said Russia has the power and means to bring Ukrainian conflict to a “logical conclusion.”
“There is no need to use those (nuclear) weapons…I hope I don’t want them,” Putin said in response to questions about Ukraine’s strike against Russia.
“We have enough strength and means to bring everything that begins in 2022 to the logical conclusions that Russia demands,” he said.
Putin ordered the inclusion of thousands of Russian troops into Ukraine in February 2022, which the Kremlin called a “special military operation” against his neighbors.
Although Russian troops were repelled from Kiev, Moscow forces currently control about 20% of Ukraine, including most of the southern and eastern regions.
As U.S. President Donald Trump said he wanted to end the conflict through diplomacy, Putin expressed his willingness to negotiate a peaceful settlement in recent weeks.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, fears of nuclear escalation have been a factor in the thinking of U.S. officials. Former CIA director William Burns said that by the end of 2022, Russia could have real risks in using nuclear weapons against Ukraine.
(Reuters reported, written by Felix Light; edited by Guy Faulconbridge)
