Putin rules out use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, affirms sufficient strength for ending the war
In an interview for the film "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin. 25 Years," airing Sunday, May 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated there was "no necessity" for the Russian Armed Forces to use nuclear weapons in their ongoing conflict with Ukraine. He emphasized, "They wanted to provoke us into making mistakes. But there was no need to use the weapon you mentioned, and hopefully, it will remain unnecessary." Putin asserted that the Russian military has "enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 to a logical conclusion with satisfactory results for Russia."
Putin also responded affirmatively to inquiries about reconciliation with what he termed the "Ukrainian part of the Russian people." Despite admitting the "tragedy of it all," he believes it's only a matter of time. Putin has previously reiterated his view that Ukrainians and Russians are "one people."
Since the start of the full-scale Russian military aggression in Ukraine, Putin has often described nuclear weapon use as a "last-resort security measure." Nonetheless, his circle has repeatedly made near-explicit nuclear threats. Notably, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Security Council, warned on his Telegram channel about the potential consequences if Ukraine attempted to obstruct the May 9 parade in Moscow, hinting that May 10 might not "arrive in Kyiv." American media previously cited sources in suggesting that in the fall of 2022, as Russian forces retreated, the U.S. considered the nuclear threat from Russia serious enough to draw up a response plan.
In November 2024, Putin signed an updated Russian nuclear doctrine. The principal amendment states that aggression from a non-nuclear state, if supported by a nuclear state, will be treated as joint aggression against Russia. Moscow reserves the right to consider a nuclear response upon "verified information on the launch of strategic and tactical aviation, cruise missiles, drones, hypersonic and other aircraft toward the country." The doctrine further highlights Russia's right to use nuclear weapons in defense of Belarus, as part of the Union State, or in response to a "critical threat to the sovereignty of the Russian Federation using conventional weapons."