Vladimir Putin states that Russia currently sees no grounds for using nuclear weapons in Ukraine and hopes that this will not happen in the future
This is a quite significant statement, considering the long-standing context of the Russia-Ukraine war and the ongoing risks of escalation. In his comments made during an interview with propagandist Pavel Zarubin, the Russian leader assured that the Kremlin had no need to use nuclear weapons during the large-scale attack on Ukraine in 2022 and, according to him, has no intention of doing so in the near future. According to his viewpoint, at the onset of the war, Russia was "provoked," and conditions were created that could have led to mistaken actions. However, Putin emphasized that Russia has enough forces and resources in its arsenal to achieve its strategic goals in the broad conflict — to "bring the war to a logical conclusion" and to obtain results that align with the country's interests. In this context, the official stressed that using nuclear weapons is not a necessary step to accomplish these objectives. The Kremlin leader also noted that, in the future, an "inevitable reconciliation with the Ukrainian part of the Russian people" is expected. Such a statement raises many questions about possible scenarios for resolving the conflict and what exactly Putin meant by this term. It is worth adding that this message aligns with well-known information from American intelligence agencies. For instance, in his book "The War," renowned journalist and analyst Bob Woodward cites data that as early as September 2022, U.S. intelligence assessed the likelihood of Russia using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine at around 50%. According to his information, these efforts were driven by failures of the Russian military operation and increasing pressure on the Kremlin, which could have prompted radical actions. Therefore, despite rhetoric about having "enough forces" and achieving a "logical outcome" of the war without the use of nuclear weapons, the situation remains tense and potentially dangerous, as the world watches one of the most powerful nuclear states express readiness to deploy catastrophic weapons while currently hoping for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.