Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said that at present he sees no threat to the sovereignty of his country that would require the use of nuclear weapons. But he also warned that Moscow could send weapons to strike Western targets.
Speaking at an International Forum, Putin said that use of nuclear weapons is only possible in "exceptional cases" and that he does not believe any such situation has come up.
However, he reiterated on his warning that Moscow "reserves the right" to arm Western opponents as a response to some of its NATO allies allowing Ukraine to use their weaponry for strikes inside Russia.
“If they supply (weapons) to the combat zone and call for using these weapons against our territory, why don't we have the right to do the same?” Putin asked.
Indicating that a sudden move, however, may have an affect on global order, Putin said, "But I'm not ready to say that we will be doing it tomorrow, either."
Recently, the United States and Germany authorised Kyiv to use long-range weapons, supplied by them, to hit some targets on the Russian soil.
A US Senator and Western official had said that Ukraine used US weapons to strike Russia in the recent days. The official noted that this usage was done under the recently approved guidance from President Joe Biden, which allows Ukraine to use American arms to hit targets inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkhiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine.
This directive, however, does not change the US policy that tells Ukraine to not use American-provided ATACMS or long-range missiles and other munitions to strike offensively inside Russia, the officials added.
Putin had earlier noted that Russia's economy continued growing despite heavy international sanctions and said Moscow has budding economic relations with countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
The sweeping sanctions were imposed on Russia for sending troops into Ukraine and to cut off its trade with the Western Europe, the US and their allies as much as possible.
Though not a lot has changed for the Russians, other than global brands disappearing or rebranding, with massive state spending on military equipment and heavy payments to volunteer soldiers keeping the boost to the economy alive.
(with AP inputs)
