Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was not considering resorting to nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine, reiterating Moscow’s stance that the use of such capabilities would only follow an “existential threat”.
In an interview in English with PBS, Peskov was asked to clarify comments made by former President Dmitry Medvedev, who has listed scenarios in which Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if it faces an existential threat.
Russia has around 6,000 nuclear warheads, and Medvedev said Russia’s nuclear doctrine does not require an adversary to use such weapons first.
Medvedev’s words follow a nuclear warning from President Vladimir Putin that his nuclear forces were placed on “high alert” following the invasion he ordered on February 24. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg condemned Russia’s “nuclear saber-rattling” last week.
Peskov said “we have no doubt” that Russia will achieve “all the objectives of our special military operation in Ukraine”, referring to the official Russian description of the war, “but of course a result of the operation is not a reason for deploying one nuclear weapon.”
“We have a security concept that states very clearly that only if there is a threat to the existence of the state in our country,” said Peskov, “we can and will actually use nuclear weapons to end the threat or the existence of our country.” eliminate land.”
“Let’s separate these two things,” Peskov said. “I mean, the existence of the state and the special military operation in Ukraine, they have nothing to do with each other.”
Peskov said Putin’s comments on Russia’s nuclear capabilities were a “warning to various states not to interfere in Ukraine-Russia affairs.”
When interviewer Ryan Chilcote said Putin’s comments suggested that Russia would turn to nuclear weapons if a third party interfered, Peskov replied, “No, I don’t think so, but he was pretty brave to say that, don’t interfere.” a.”
“If you do that, we have every opportunity to prevent that and punish all those who will interfere.”
When Chilcote asked Peskov to rule out the use of nuclear weapons because the war in Ukraine would ever threaten Russia’s existence, the Kremlin spokesman said: “Nobody thinks about using them, not even the idea of using a nuclear weapon.”
Asked about President Joe Biden’s warning to Putin to “go to a single inch of NATO territory” and whether Russia would try to send forces into an Ally member, Peskov said, “If it’s not reciprocity, then do it Don’t make us do it, we can’t think of that.”
The Kremlin spokesman also described Biden’s description of Putin as “quite alarming” as a “slaughterer” and that it was “impossible” for him to stay in power – leading to the White House insisting he did not see regime change demanded.
On Monday, however, Biden said he would not apologize that Putin “cannot stay in power.” At a news conference, Biden said that while he is “not going back on anything” in relation to what he said, the statement reflects a personal belief, not a change in policy.
The Kremlin spokesman added: “First of all, it is like this [a] personal insult. And one can hardly imagine a place for personal insults in rhetoric [sic] of a political leader,” he said, “we’re really sorry.
“And his statement includes whether or not Putin should be in power in Russia. Of course, that is totally unacceptable. It is not up to the President of the United States to decide who will be President of the Russian Federation and who it is,” Peskov said.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House and Kremlin for comment.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov moderates Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual press conference at the Manezh Exhibition Hall in central Moscow, December 23, 2021. Peskov told PBS that no one in Russia is considering using nuclear weapons. NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/Getty Images