The Kremlin stated on Thursday that comments on nuclear weapons made by Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with state media do not represent a threat of their use, and accused the United States (U.S.) of deliberately taking these remarks out of context.
In the interview published on Wednesday, Putin said that Russia was technically ready for nuclear war and that if the U.S. sends troops to Ukraine, it would be considered a significant escalation of the conflict.
Commenting on Putin’s words, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Washington understands that the Russian leader was reiterating Moscow’s nuclear doctrine, but accused Russia of using “reckless and irresponsible” nuclear rhetoric during the conflict in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Putin was only responding to journalists’ questions on the topic and reiterated the well-known circumstances under which Russia would theoretically be forced to use nuclear weapons.
Peskov also pointed out that in the same interview, Putin said that the idea of using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine had never crossed his mind.
Asked about the White House’s comments, Peskov said:
“This was deliberately taking something out of context. Putin did not threaten to use nuclear weapons in this interview. The president was just talking about the reasons that could make the use of nuclear weapons inevitable. These are reasons stated in our relevant documents, which are known worldwide. Moreover, everyone in the West deliberately overlooked his words that he had never considered using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, despite various situations that developed during the fighting. This is a deliberate distortion of the context and an unwillingness to hear President Putin,” he said, Klix.ba writes.
