publish time

13/03/2024

author name Arab Times

publish time

13/03/2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during an interview with Rossiya Segodnya International Media Group Director General Dmitry Kiselev, back to a camera, in Moscow, Russia on March 12. (AP)

MOSCOW, March 13, (AP): President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or independence is threatened, issuing another blunt warning to the West just days ahead of an election in which he’s all but certain to win another six-year term.
The Russian leader has repeatedly talked about his readiness to use nuclear weapons since invading Ukraine in February 2022. The most recent such threat came in his state-of-the-nation address last month, when he warned the West that deepening its involvement in the fighting in Ukraine would risk a nuclear war.
Asked in an interview with Russian state television released early Wednesday if he has ever considered using battlefield nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Putin responded that there has been no need for that. Still, the remarks appeared to be a message to the West that he is prepared to use all means to protect his gains there.
In an apparent reference to NATO allies, he also declared that "the nations that say they have no red lines regarding Russia should realize that Russia won’t have any red lines regarding them either.”
In the interview, Putin described US President Joe Biden as a veteran politician who fully understands possible dangers of escalation, and said that he doesn’t think that the world is heading to a nuclear war.
At the same time, he emphasized that Russia’s nuclear forces are in full readiness and "from the military-technical viewpoint, we’re prepared.”
Putin said that in line with the country's security doctrine, Moscow is ready to use nuclear weapons in case of a threat to "the existence of the Russian state, our sovereignty and independence.”
He also reaffirmed that Ukraine and its Western allies will eventually have to accept a deal on Russian terms.
"It shouldn't be a break for the enemy to rearm but a serious talk involving the guarantees of security for the Russian Federation,” he said.
Putin said that a recent spike in Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside Russia is part of efforts to derail the country's three-day presidential election, which starts Friday and which he is set to win by a landslide, given his near total crackdown on dissent and tight control over Russia's political system.