Putin says Russia does not need to use nuclear weapons to achieve victory in Ukraine

ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday there was no need to use nuclear weapons to ensure Moscow's victory in Ukraine, the strongest signal ever sent by the head of the Kremlin that there will be no nuclear strike.

Putin, whose forces have advanced in eastern Ukraine in recent months, said he did not see the conditions necessary for the use of such weapons and called for an end to discussion of the nuclear issue. .

However, Putin, who heads the world's largest nuclear power, said he did not rule out changing Russia's nuclear doctrine, which sets out the conditions under which such weapons could be used.

He also said that if necessary, Russia could test a nuclear weapon, although he did not see the need for one at the moment.

Putin's response came to a question from Sergei Karaganov, an influential Russian analyst, who asked whether Putin should hold a “nuclear gun to the head” of the West regarding Ukraine.

“Use is possible in an exceptional case – in the event of a threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. I do not think that such a case has arisen. This is not necessary,” said Putin in St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

“But this doctrine is a living tool and we are carefully monitoring what is happening in the world around us and do not rule out making some changes to this doctrine. This is also related to nuclear weapons testing.”

NUCLEAR DOCTRINE

Russian nuclear doctrine published in 2020 defines the conditions under which a Russian president would consider using a nuclear weapon: broadly in response to an attack using nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction, or to the use of nuclear weapons conventional attacks against Russia “when the very existence of the State is threatened”.

“If necessary, we will carry out tests. So far this is not necessary either, since our information and IT capabilities allow us to produce everything in its current form.”

Karaganov last year proposed a limited nuclear strike against a NATO member in Europe to force the West to back down from the conflict in Ukraine and thus avoid a Third World War.

US President Joe Biden last week eased some restrictions on Ukraine's use of US weapons in Russia, prompting Moscow to warn of a potentially dangerous escalation of the conflict.

Putin said Wednesday he could deploy conventional missiles within striking range of the United States and its European allies if they allow Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia with long-range Western weapons. He also said the West was wrong to assume Russia would never use nuclear weapons.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Kevin Liffey and Gareth Jones)