Putin says he hopes there will be no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine had not arisen, and that he hoped it would not arise.
In a fragment of an upcoming interview with Russian state television published on Telegram, Putin said that Russia has the strength and the means to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a “logical conclusion”.
Responding to a question about Ukrainian strikes on Russia, Putin said, “There has been no need to use those (nuclear) weapons … and I hope they will not be required.”
“We have enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires,” he added.
In recent weeks, the Russian president expressed willingness to negotiate a peace settlement, as U.S. President Donald Trump has said he wants to end the conflict via diplomatic means.
On Saturday, the Kremlin said it wanted a definitive response from Ukraine to President Putin’s offer of a three-day ceasefire next week, marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany in World War Two.
The Kremlin said the 72-hour ceasefire would run on May 8, May 9 – when Putin will host international leaders on Moscow’s Red Square, including Chinese President Xi Jinping – and May 10.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appeared to rule out such a brief ceasefire, saying he was only ready to sign up to a ceasefire that would last at least 30 days, an idea Putin has said needs a lot of work before it could become a reality.
