Ukraine war: Kremlin says Putin did not threaten to use nuclear weapons, US took comments ‘out of context’
- On Wednesday, Putin said Russia was technically ready for nuclear war and if the US sent troops to Ukraine, it would be considered an escalation of the conflict
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Putin had merely been answering a journalist’s questions on the subject
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Putin had merely been answering a journalist’s questions on the subject and restating the already well known circumstances in which Russia would theoretically be forced to use nuclear weapons.
Peskov also drew attention to the fact that Putin had said in the same interview that the idea of using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine had never crossed his mind.
Asked about the White House comments, Peskov said: “This was deliberately taking something out of context. Putin made no threats about the use of nuclear weapons in this interview. The president was just talking about the reasons that could make the use of nuclear weapons inevitable.
“These are the reasons that are stated in our relevant documents, which are well known throughout the world. Moreover, everyone in the West deliberately failed to notice his words that it had never occurred to him to use tactical nuclear weapons [in Ukraine], despite the various situations that have developed during the fighting.
“This is a deliberate distortion of the context and an unwillingness to hear President Putin.”