Kremlin Denies Putin Threatened Nuclear Weapons Use, Accuses US of Misinterpretation

Nuclear Weapons

The Kremlin issued a statement on Thursday, clarifying Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent comments on nuclear weapons in an interview with state media.

According to the Kremlin, Putin’s remarks did not constitute a threat to use nuclear weapons, and they accused the US of deliberately misinterpreting his statements.

In the interview published on Wednesday, Putin discussed Russia’s readiness for nuclear war and stated that the deployment of US troops to Ukraine would escalate the conflict significantly.

However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Putin’s remarks were in response to a journalist’s questions and were merely restating Russia’s well-known stance on the circumstances under which they would consider the use of nuclear weapons.

Peskov also highlighted Putin’s statement in the same interview that he had never contemplated the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine. When asked about the White House’s reaction to Putin’s comments, Peskov criticized it as a deliberate misinterpretation of the context.

He asserted that Putin did not make any threats regarding the use of nuclear weapon but rather discussed the potential scenarios in which their use might become unavoidable, as outlined in Russia’s official documents.

Furthermore, Peskov accused Western officials of ignoring Putin’s explicit statement about not considering the use of tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine, despite the various challenges posed by the conflict.

He characterized this selective approach as a deliberate distortion of the context and a refusal to engage with President Putin’s remarks in their entirety.

Overall, the Kremlin’s response sought to clarify Putin’s comments and push back against what they perceived as a deliberate misrepresentation by US officials.