In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday, Dmitry Peskov repeatedly refused to rule out that Russia would consider using nuclear weapons against what Moscow saw as an “existential threat.” When asked under what conditions Putin would use Russia’s nuclear capabilities, Peskov replied, “If it’s an existential threat to our country, then it can be.”
Putin has previously indicated he would use nuclear weapons against nations he saw as a threat to Russia. Back in February, the Russian President said in a televised statement: “No matter who tries to stand in our way or create even more threats to our country and our people, they must know that Russia will respond immediately , and the consequences will be the likes of which you have never seen in your entire history.” Then, in a televised meeting with Russian defense officials, he said that “officials in leading NATO countries have allowed themselves aggressive comments about our country I hereby order the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff to put the Russian Army’s deterrent force into combat readiness.”
When asked what he thinks Putin has achieved in Ukraine so far, Peskov replied: “Well, first of all, not yet. He hasn’t achieved anything yet.”
The spokesman also claimed that the “special military operation” – the Kremlin’s official euphemism for the Russian invasion of Ukraine – proceeded “strictly in accordance with the plans and purposes previously established”.
Peskov also reiterated Putin’s demands, saying that the “main goals of the operation” are “to get rid of Ukraine’s military potential”, to ensure that Ukraine is a “neutral country”, to get rid of “nationalist battalions”, to accept for Ukraine that Crimea – annexed by Russia in 2014 – is part of Russia, and accepting that the breakaway small towns of Luhansk and Donetsk “are already independent states”.
He also claimed that despite numerous reports of Russian air strikes on civilian targets sheltering ordinary Ukrainians, Russia only attacked military targets.
The interview comes as Western intelligence has reported that Russia’s operations in parts of Ukraine have stalled.