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

By Samia Nakhoul, Guy Faulconbridge and Vladimir Soldatkin

ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia did not need to use nuclear weapons to ensure victory in Ukraine, the Kremlin's strongest signal yet that the deadliest conflict in Europe since the Second World War will not degenerate into nuclear war.

Since Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022, he has repeatedly said Russia would use such weapons if necessary to defend itself – comments the West characterizes as nuclear aggressive.

Asked at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum plenary session by moderator Sergei Karaganov, an influential Russian analyst, whether Russia should hold a Western “nuclear gun to the head” against Ukraine, Putin said that he did not see the conditions for using such weapons.

“This 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,” Putin said .

Moscow now considers Crimea – which it conquered from Ukraine in 2014 – and four other Ukrainian regions as integral part of its own territory, raising the possibility of a nuclear strike if kyiv appeared ready to retake them.

Ukraine has stepped up drone and missile attacks against Russian targets, including in Crimea, and has vowed to drive all Russian forces from its territory.

Putin 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.

The public debate over nuclear strikes on the stage of Russia's first economic forum appears to be an attempt by the Kremlin to reduce nuclear fears, just as the war in Ukraine is escalating toward what Russian and U.S. diplomats see as its final phase. the most dangerous to date.

Russia and the United States hold nearly 90% of the world's nuclear weapons.

NUCLEAR WAR?

Last year, Karaganov 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.

On Friday, Karaganov invoked the biblical story of how God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness, as he pressed Putin on whether Russia should step up its efforts in Ukraine to teach “a lesson” to the West.

Putin said he prayed that the world would never witness a nuclear confrontation, adding: “And we do not have this need. Because our armed forces do not just gain experience, they increase their efficiency.”

Russian troops are advancing along the front line in Ukraine, Putin said, adding that they have captured 880 square kilometers of territory since the start of the year, including 47 villages and towns.

Putin said Russia had increased its munitions production more than 20-fold and was outperforming Ukraine and the West on a range of measures.

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”.

“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.”

“If necessary, we will carry out tests. So far this is also not necessary…” he added.

U.S. President Joe Biden eased some restrictions on Ukraine's use of U.S. weapons in Russia, prompting Moscow to warn of a potentially dangerous escalation of the conflict, now in its third year.

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.

Biden, speaking Friday in France where he was attending celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the landings, reaffirmed the United States' commitment to supporting Ukraine and again drew a comparison between the fight against Nazi Germany and the threats posed by dictators. Today.

(Additional reporting by Reuters; editing by Kevin Liffey and Gareth Jones)