Russia refuses to rule out use of nuclear weapons in case of 'existential threat'

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pic/AFP

While refusing to rule out the use of nuclear weapons, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that if there is an existential threat for Russia, the country can use the nukes.

In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday, when asked under what conditions Putin would use Russia's nuclear capability, Peskov replied, "if it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be," reported CNN News.

Moreover, when asked what Putin thought he had achieved in Ukraine so far, Peskov answered, "Well, first of all, not yet. He hasn't achieved yet," adding the special military operation was, "going on strictly in accordance with the plans and the purposes that were established beforehand."

During the interview, Peskov stated what Russia desires to achieve from the war in Ukraine. He said, "main goals of the operation" are to "get rid of the military potential of Ukraine," to ensure Ukraine is a "neutral country," to get rid of "nationalist battalions," for Ukraine to accept that Crimea is a part of Russia and accept the breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

Notably, Crimean was annexed by Russia in 2014 and also accused Ukraine of committing genocide in the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

On February 24, Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics requested help in defending themselves. What followed the military operation was a slew of sanctions imposed by the western countries targeting the Russian economy.

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