Putin Says No Threat That Warrants Use of Nuclear Weapons

June 7th, 11:45 PM EDT

By NEWSnet Digital Team

Russia President Vladimir Putin, October 2023.

MGN via Kremlin.RU / CC BY-NC 4.0

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (NEWSnet/AP) — President Vladimir Putin said Friday he sees no current threat to Russia’s sovereignty that would warrant use of nuclear weapons.

Putin, speaking at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, said use of nuclear weapons is possible only in “exceptional cases” and he does not believe “such a case has arisen.”

He repeated a statement made June 5 that Moscow “reserves the right” to arm Western adversaries as a response to some NATO allies allowing Ukraine to use their weapons to strike targets inside Russia.

“If they supply (weapons) to the combat zone and call for using these weapons against our territory, why don’t we have the right to do the same?” Putin asked.

Putin made the comments during a question-and-answer session with a pro-Kremlin moderator at the forum.

Putin also said he sees no need for a new round of mobilization to enhance Russia’s forces in Ukraine. "People come voluntarily and go to the front lines to defend the Motherland.”

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