JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin, in Pre-Election Messaging, Plays Down Threat of Nuclear War” – New York Times
“The Russian leader struck a softer tone in an interview with state television than in last month’s state-of-the-nation address. He is aiming to project stability before this weekend’s vote.”
“… Putin … tried to play down fears of nuclear war in [a Russian state television] interview … and denied having considered using weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine …. Putin struck a softer tone than in his state-of-the-nation address last month, when he said that the West risked nuclear conflict … if it intervened more directly in Ukraine. In the interview, [] Putin described the United States as seeking to avoid such a conflict, even as he warned that Russia was prepared to use nuclear weapons if its ‘sovereignty and independence’ were threatened. … American officials have said … Putin came closest to using nuclear weapons … in Ukraine in the fall of 2022, when Russia’s ground forces were on the back foot and American intelligence intercepted frequent [nuclear-related] conversations in the Russian military …. Asked in the [recent] interview … whether he had considered using ‘tactical’ nuclear weapons at that point, [] Putin said that ‘there was never such a need.’ … Putin said … ‘… we are ready to use weapons, including any weapons, including those you mentioned, if we are talking about the existence of the Russian state, about doing damage to our sovereignty and independence.’…”
Putin said Russia would push on and increase its firepower in Ukraine in an effort to reduce Russian casualties, and that Russia’s negotiating position was improving because of battlefield gains.
He also stated that his ultimate goal in Ukraine was an arrangement with the United States similar to security guarantees sought in 2021, which have been characterized as a new sphere of Russian influence in Eastern Europe, opposed by the West.