Russia is prepared to use nuclear weapons in the event of a threat to its sovereignty or independence.
Vladimir Putin thundered back at the West on Wednesday in an interview with Russian state TV just days before an election round that is expected to reappoint him to the Kremlin’s Grand Palace seat for another six years — thanks in part to the exclusion of several pro-peace candidates.
The 71-year-old St. Petersburg native made it clear that Moscow has no plans to deploy “tactical” nuclear weapons in Ukraine, adding, however, that it is ready to resort to them in case of a threat “to the existence of the Russian state, to our sovereignty and independence.”
“All this is written in our strategy, we have not changed it,” the Russian president said.
“The nations that say they have no red lines against Russia should realize that Russia will have no red lines against them either,” he later quipped – referring to Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis’ dissatisfaction with the West’s self-imposed “red lines” in order not to annoy the Kremlin beyond measure.
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Putin does not seem to believe, however, that the world is hopelessly headed for an atomic apocalypse. On the contrary, he praised the experience of “veteran politicians” such as U.S. President Joe Biden. A few weeks ago, the Democratic candidate for reelection had received a resounding–though probably unwelcomed–endorsement from the Kremlin, as he was deemed by the Russians to be “more predictable” than his Republican rival Donald Trump.
Putin’s optimism also embraces the fate of the war in Ukraine, which lately has been going well for the Russian troops, as they are slowly regaining some of the positions lost in recent months. Such victorious dynamics, however, look to be offset by some successful Ukrainian raids in the Black Sea (and the subsequent ouster of the Russian Navy chief of staff).
According to Putin, the current situation confirms the need for Kyiv and its Western partners to accept a truce on Russia’s terms. “It should not be a pause for the rearmament of the enemy, but a serious talk that includes security guarantees for the Russian Federation,” he said.
Wednesday’s is just one of the Russian leader’s periodic threats about his readiness to use nuclear weapons. The last one was uttered just a month ago in his State of the Nation address, when he warned that French President Emmanuel Macron’s idea of sending Western troops to Ukraine could pave the way for a wider nuclear conflict.
Throughout the rest of the interview, Putin announced the deployment of Russian troops along the border with Finland. Helsinki’s and neighboring Sweden’s recent admission into NATO after centuries of neutrality, and in the aftermath of the Ukraine invasion, was labeled by the Russian leader as “an absolutely meaningless step from the point of view of protecting one’s national interests.” Indeed, even a counterproductive one: “We didn’t have troops there (on the Finnish border), now they will be there.”
Gennaro Mansi
