(Dan Tri) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the country is always ready if a nuclear war occurs, but said that scenario has not happened at this time.
President Vladimir Putin (Photo: Reuters).
In an interview published on March 13, President Vladimir Putin said Russia is still in a state of combat readiness and completely ready for a nuclear war, but assessed that current tensions are not yet present.
He affirmed that Russia will be ready to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty is threatened.
Responding to a question from Rossiya-1 channel and RIA news agency about whether Russia is really ready for a nuclear war, Mr. Putin said: `From a military technical point of view, of course we are ready.`
He said the US understands that if it deployed troops on Russian territory – or to Ukraine – Russia would consider this action an act of interference.
Mr. Putin said: `The US has enough experts in the field of bilateral relations with Russia and in the field of strategic restraint. Therefore, I think that all scenarios at this time cannot lead to nuclear confrontation, but we
He reiterated that the use of nuclear weapons is clearly stated in the Kremlin’s doctrine, whose policy sets out the circumstances under which Russia could use atomic weapons.
Mr. Putin said: `Weapons exist for use. We have our own principles.`
He added that if the US conducts nuclear tests, Russia could do the same.
In addition, Mr. Putin said Russia has never faced the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, where the conflict between the two countries has broken out since February 2022.
`Why should we use weapons of mass destruction (in Ukraine)? Russia has never had such a need,` he emphasized.
When asked by the media if he had ever thought about such an idea, Mr. Putin replied: `Never.`
According to him, the US is developing nuclear forces but that does not mean they are ready to launch a nuclear war tomorrow.
Earlier this month, Air Force General Anthony Cotton, head of the US Strategic Command, said Russia posed a serious challenge to Washington’s military power.
He said that Moscow possesses the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, more than Washington, and is actively modernizing this arsenal.
`Russia has the largest and most diverse nuclear arsenal of any country,` Mr. Cotton said, specifically mentioning Moscow’s Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles and fully-fledged submarines.