Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Wednesday that Russia might use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty is threatened.
“If someone’s actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible to use all available means,” President Putin said, citing what he described as his country’s security policy.
“For some reason, those in the West believe that Russia will never use them,” President Putin told a group of international journalists, adding that Russia’s nuclear arsenal is much more powerful than what the United States used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II.
The Russian leader spoke for over three hours with journalists from international news agencies during the proceedings of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
President Putin warned that Russia could supply long-range weapons to others to strike Western targets if NATO allies allow Ukraine to use their weapons to attack Russian territory.
“If they consider it possible to send such weapons to the war zone to launch attacks on our territory and create problems for us, why don’t we have the right to supply the same kind of weapons to certain regions of the world where they could be used to launch attacks on sensitive targets in the countries that do this to Russia?” he said, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Germany joined the United States last week in authorizing Ukraine to hit targets on Russian soil along the regional border of Kharkiv using long-range weapons donated by them. The Russian president mentioned the American ATACMS systems, as well as British and French missiles.
The arrival of German tanks in Ukraine surprised many in Russia, according to President Putin, who said, “When German tanks first appeared on Ukrainian soil, it caused such a moral and ethical shock in Russia because the relations with (Germany) in Russian society have always been very good.”
Asked about the upcoming American elections, the Russian leader said he is not concerned about the results.
“To say, very frankly, that we believe something will change towards Russia in American policy after the elections, I don’t believe it. We don’t think so. We think nothing serious will happen,” President Putin said.
