In a stark warning to the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Wednesday that his country is technically ready for a nuclear war and would consider the deployment of U.S. troops to Ukraine as a significant escalation of the ongoing conflict. The comments, made during an interview with state media outlets Rossiya-1 television and news agency RIA, come just days before the Russian presidential election, which is virtually certain to grant Putin another six-year term in office.
"From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready," Putin, 71, said in response to a question about Russia's preparedness for a nuclear war. However, he also emphasized that the nuclear war scenario was not "rushing" up and that he saw no need for the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine at present.
Putin's nuclear warning was accompanied by another offer for talks on Ukraine as part of a new post-Cold War demarcation of European security, although the U.S. remains skeptical of the Russian leader's readiness for serious negotiations. The war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022 when Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into the country, has triggered the deepest crisis in Russia's relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
The Russian president reiterated that the use of nuclear weapons was outlined in the Kremlin's nuclear doctrine, which sets out the conditions under which such weapons would be used, broadly in response to an attack using nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction, or the use of conventional weapons against Russia "when the very existence of the state is put under threat."
"Weapons exist in order to use them," Putin said. "We have our own principles."
Despite the escalating tensions, Putin stated that he had never felt the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. He also said that Russia was ready for serious talks on Ukraine, but they should be based on reality and not on "cravings after the use of psychotropic drugs."
The U.S. administration, led by President Joe Biden, has expressed specific concerns that Russia might use a tactical or battlefield nuclear weapon in Ukraine, according to a CNN report on Saturday. In response, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns warned earlier this week that if the West did not provide proper support for Ukraine, Kyiv would lose more territory to Russia, which would embolden Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, told the Senate Intelligence Committee that it was in U.S. interests to support Ukraine to allow it to get into a stronger position before talks. Putin, however, said he trusted no one and that Russia would need written security guarantees in the event of a settlement.
"I don't trust anyone, but we need guarantees, and guarantees must be spelled out, they must be such that we would be satisfied," Putin said.
The war in Ukraine has been ongoing for more than two years, with Russian forces currently controlling almost one-fifth of Ukrainian territory. Kyiv maintains that it is defending itself against an imperial-style war of conquest designed to erase its national identity, while Russia claims that the areas it controls in Ukraine are now part of Russia.
As the conflict continues, the West grapples with how to support Ukraine against Russia, which is rearming much faster than the West and Ukraine combined. Putin's latest nuclear warnings serve as a reminder of the high stakes involved and the potential for the conflict to escalate further if a diplomatic solution is not found.
Reuters and Fox News contributed to this report.
