Ukraine war: Russia would use nuclear weapons only if faced with ‘existential threat’, Kremlin says
- A Kremlin spokesman made the comment when pressed in an interview over whether he was confident that Putin would not use the option
- The Russian leader had put the country’s strategic nuclear forces on high alert last month, in a move that sparked global alarm
Russia would use nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict only if it were facing an “existential threat”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN International on Tuesday.
“We have a concept of domestic security, and it’s public. You can read all the reasons for nuclear arms to be used,” Peskov said. “So if it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be used in accordance with our concept.”
Peskov’s comment came as interviewer Christiane Amanpour pushed him on whether he was “convinced or confident” that President Vladimir Putin would not use the nuclear option in the Ukrainian context.
Days after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, Putin announced on February 28 that he had put the country’s strategic nuclear forces on high alert in a move that sparked global alarm.
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Asked about Peskov’s statement, and Russia’s nuclear stance more broadly, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby called Moscow’s rhetoric on potential use of nuclear weapons “dangerous”.