On Wednesday, March 13, Russia President Vladimir Putin cautioned the Wester nations, stating that Russia was prepared for nuclear conflict and considered any deployment of U.S. troops to Ukraine a significant escalation. Putin, addressing the situation ahead of the March 15-17 election set to extend his tenure by another six years, emphasized that while nuclear war was technically feasible, he saw no immediate necessity for it in the Ukrainian context.
“From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready,” In response to a query about Russia’s preparedness for nuclear conflict, the 71-year-old Putin conveyed to Rossiya-1 television and news agency RIA.
Putin stated that should the U.S. deploy its troops on Russian soil or in Ukraine, Russia would interpret it as intervention, a fact well known to the United States.
“(In the U.S.) there are enough specialists in the field of Russian-American relations and in the field of strategic restraint,”
“Therefore, i don’t think that here everything is rushing to it (nuclear confrontation), but we are ready for this.” said Putin
Putin has issued a string of public nuclear alerts directed at the U.S. in an effort to dissuade increase intervention in Ukraine- an action the Kremlin asserts would precipitate a descent into global warfare. Despite Washington’s assertion of no significant alterations to Russia’s nuclear stance, Putin’s public nuclear alerts are now raising apprehension in Washington. The deployment of soldiers into Ukraine involving Ukrainian forces, pro-Russia Ukrainians, and Russian proxies.
The conflict in Ukraine has sparked the most profound crisis in Russia’s relations with the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Putin has repeatedly cautioned that the West risks instigating a nuclear conflict by deploying troops to engage in combat in Ukraine.
Alongside his nuclear warning, Putin has extended offers for talks on the Ukraine situation. However, the U.S. contends that Putin is not prepared for substantive discussions regarding Ukraine. Amidst a U.S. election year, the West grapples with how to bolster Kyviv against Russia, which currently commands nearly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory and is ramping up artillery production at a pace outstripping that of the West and Ukraine.
Kyviv asserts it is defending itself against an imperialistic campaign aimed at obliterating its national identity. Conversely, Russia maintains that the region it controls in Ukraine are now part of Russia.
Putin reaffirmed that the utilization of nuclear weapons aligns with the guidelines outlined in the Kremlin’s nuclear doctrine. The doctrine delineates the circumstances warranting the use of such weaponry , primarily in response to an attack involving nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction, or in the event of conventional weapons being employed against Russia in a manner endangering the states existence.
“Weapons exist in order to use them, we have our own principles, Russia is ready for negotiations on Ukraine, but they should be based on reality – and not on cravings after the use of psychotropic drugs.
“I don’t trust anyone, but we need guarantees, and guarantees must be spelled out, they must be such that we would be satisfied.” Putin said