However, he again accused Ukraine of building a “dirty bomb”. / Putin denies intention to use nuclear weapons
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, he has no intention of using nuclear weapons in the war against Ukraine. “We see no need for it,” he said during a performance in Moscow that lasted several hours. There is no political or military reason for this.
Prior to this, however, Putin had repeatedly threatened to use all available means to protect his country. Ex-President Dmitry Medvedev, currently deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, also declared at the end of September: “Russia has the right to use nuclear weapons if necessary.” This is “certainly not a bluff”.
During his appearance in Moscow, Putin said that the use of a nuclear bomb is part of Russia’s military doctrine. However, this is only intended for defensive purposes.
Repeated ‘dirty bomb’ allegations
Putin also repeated accusations against Ukraine that it plans to use a radioactive so-called “dirty bomb” on its own territory and then blames Russia. Ukraine has the technology to build them, Putin said, and he knows roughly where it’s happening. Russia itself does not need to place such a bomb.
Ukraine and its Western backers vehemently deny the accusation. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said there was no evidence that Ukraine was planning to do this, nor that Putin had made a decision to do so. Since Moscow’s first allegations against Ukraine, there have been fears that Russia itself may be planning to use a “dirty bomb” to create a pretext for a military escalation to the point of using tactical nuclear weapons.
The US has been warning the Kremlin for weeks that the use of tactical nuclear weapons in a war of aggression against Ukraine will have devastating consequences.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) plans to send an observer mission to Ukraine later this week in response to Russia’s allegations. That said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi. Experts would carry out inspections at two locations in Ukraine after the Ukrainian government had written to request teams of inspectors to be sent.
US should force Ukraine to the negotiating table
With a view to a possible end to the war in Ukraine, Putin said he was open to dialogue, but at the same time warned of a further escalation. Sooner or later, however, the West will have to talk to Russia about a common future. Russia is ready for a dialogue with Ukraine to end the conflict, but Kyiv does not want to sit at the negotiating table. The problem could easily be solved, said Putin: The United States should urge Ukraine to hold peace talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not want to negotiate as long as the Russian war of aggression results in the subjugation and destruction of Ukraine. He is counting on recapturing the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.
The West is playing a “dangerous, bloody and dirty” game, Putin said during his almost four-hour appearance. “We are standing on a historic threshold: Ahead of us lies what is probably the most dangerous, unpredictable and at the same time most important decade since the end of the Second World War.”
The Kremlin chief made it clear that he also sees his war in the neighboring country as a fight against an “aggressive West” that is trying to impose its rules and liberal values on others. Russia will not accept a “dictate” from a “neo-colonial West”. Other centers of power and a multipolar world are emerging in Asia and South America, for example, said Putin.
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