Nuclear weapons reserved for existential threats only, Russia reaffirms

Russia reaffirmed its stance on using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, saying that such a step would only be taken if there is a “threat to the existence” of the country. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov previously made similar claims about a week ago.

Peskov said in an interview with PBS that nuclear weaponry would not be used in connection with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. “Any outcome of the operation (in Ukraine), of course, is not a reason for usage of a nuclear weapon”, the Kremlin spokesperson said, according to reports from Reuters.

Also Read: Russia’s ‘irresponsible’ acts in Chernobyl may cause radiation leak: Ukraine

Peskov added, “We have a security concept that very clearly states that only when there is a threat for existence of the state, in our country, we can use and we will actually use nuclear weapons to eliminate the threat for the existence of our country.”

The Kremlin official also reacted to United States President Joe Biden’s recent comment on Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power“, Biden said last week, sparking concerns about the United States calling for a regime change in Russia.

Peskov said that the comment was a “personal insult” and added that “it was completely unacceptable.” 

“It is not for the United States’ President to decide who is going to be and who is the president of the Russian Federation”, the Russian official told PBS in an interview.

Also Read: Belarus voting for nuclear weapon is ‘greatly worrying’: European Union

Russia is reported to have the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, with a total of 4,477 nuclear warheads (of which 1,912 are thought to be tactical nuclear weapons).

Western countries and alliances, however, have not yet made any statements on the use of nuclear weapons so far. Instead, European Union, NATO, the United States and the United Kingdom have flooded Ukraine with supplies — both humanitarian and tactical.