Moscow has reiterated that it will not use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, a day after its envoy to the United States criticized NATO for not taking seriously the threat of nuclear war.
The state news agency Tass quoted Russian Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Alexei Zaitsev as saying that Moscow has no intention of using nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation.”
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shaken, President Vladimir Putin’s prospect of resorting to nuclear weapons has been the subject of discussion in the media and in Western capitals.
“Scenarios for our potential use of nuclear weapons are clearly set out in Russian doctrinal documents,” Zaitsev said on Friday. “Russia firmly adheres to the principle that there can be no winners in a nuclear war.
Russia has reiterated that it will not resort to nuclear weapons in the invasion of Ukraine. Above, a woman walks in front of a destroyed building after a Russian missile attack in the town of Vasilkov, near Kyiv, on February 27, 2022. Getty Images / DIMITAR DILKOF / Mikhail Svetlov / EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA / / Getty
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted that nuclear weapons would not be used in Ukraine.
However, Russian state television spoke of Moscow’s nuclear capabilities, especially in light of its test of the Sarmat missile, which gave Putin the right to brag.
But Tass said Zaitsev said the “provocations” would come only “from the West and Ukraine”, adding that Moscow “should be ready for any events in the media and directly on the ground.”
He said that nuclear weapons “are not applicable to the tasks set during the special military operation in Ukraine.”
Newsweek turned to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense for comment.
The remarks came after a warning from Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, about the increased nuclear risk associated with NATO’s involvement in the war in Ukraine. Moscow has criticized the alliance’s military aid to Kyiv’s forces.
As Newsweek previously reported, Antonov said that “the current generation of NATO politicians obviously does not take the nuclear threat seriously.”
Antonov told Newsweek that the United States’ claims that Russia was to blame for escalating nuclear tensions were “groundless” and part of “propaganda” against Moscow that had taken steps “to neutralize threats to our national security coming.” from Ukrainian territory “. “
He then outlined “the conditions under which the use of nuclear weapons is possible” according to official Russian doctrine.
These include “in response to the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against Russia and its allies,” or in the event of aggression against our country, when the very existence of the state is threatened. “
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