‘EXISTENTIAL THREAT’

Kremlin Refuses to Rule Out Russia Using Nuclear Weapons

Putin previously warned that interference with his plans would be met with consequences “such as you have never seen in your entire history.”

A spokesman for the Kremlin said in a Tuesday interview that Russia would use nuclear weapons if faced with an “existential threat.” Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s chief spokesman, explained in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that any violations of his nation’s “concept of domestic security” would justify the use of nuclear arms. Peskov also insisted that the Ukraine invasion was going “strictly” to plan and said Russian forces were only attacking military targets, a claim contradicted by numerous reports. Speaking in February, Putin had previously warned other countries against interfering with his invasion, saying efforts against Russia would be met with consequences “such as you have never seen in your entire history.” Around that time, he ordered Russia’s nuclear forces be put on high alert. Last week, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned that “the prospect of nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, is now back within the realm of possibility.”