In the interview, Putin said there would be “no need” to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict. Responding to a question about Ukrainian strikes on Russia, he said: “There has been no need to use those [nuclear] weapons … and I hope they will not be required.”
In November, Putin signed a revamped version of Russia’s nuclear doctrine, which spelt out the circumstances under which he would use his atomic arsenal, the world’s biggest. The document lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike in response to a broader range of conventional attacks.
On Monday, Putin announced a temporary three-day ceasefire starting on May 8 to mark the end of World War II. In response, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for the ceasefire to last at least 30 days, reiterating a proposal by Kyiv that Moscow has not taken up.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that Russia’s announcement of a one-sided 72-hour ceasefire is a “theatrical performance,” and just an attempt to create a “soft atmosphere” ahead of Russia’s celebrations.
Putin, who has met four times in as many months with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, continues to reject the U.S. proposal for ending the war which would freeze the conflict along the current battle lines and thus give Russia significant territorial gains.
