Putin Issues New Ominous Nuclear Threat

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that the possibility of Moscow using nuclear weapons amid the Russia-Ukraine war should "not be taken lightly" by the West.

Putin, who has repeatedly threatened nuclear war in the more than two years since the Ukraine invasion began, delivered the fresh warning while speaking to senior news editors at a meeting in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

The Russian president suggested that Western nations were wrong to think Russia "will never use" its nuclear arsenal after pointing out that the U.S. was responsible for dropping two atomic bombs on Japan at the end of World War II.

"For some reason, the West believes that Russia will never use it ... We have a nuclear doctrine, look what it says," Putin said, referring to Russia's policy of allowing nuclear weapon usage if "the very existence of the state is put under threat."

"If someone's actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible for us to use all means at our disposal," he added. "This should not be taken lightly, superficially."

It is unclear what Putin considers to be a threat to Russia's "sovereignty and territorial integrity." The Russia-Ukraine War is already being fought in several regions of Ukraine that Putin claims to have annexed for Russia.

Newsweek reached out for comment to Putin's office via email on Wednesday evening.

Putin also suggested on Wednesday that he may soon deploy conventional missiles to areas capable of striking the U.S. and its allies in retaliation for Western nations sending Ukraine weapons that can be used to strike targets in Russia.

He went on to say that it was "completely crazy" for the U.S. and its allies to suggest that Russia has plans to expand the war to NATO nations, arguing that such notions are self-defeating for the West.

"You should not make Russia out to be the enemy. You're only hurting yourself with this, you know?" said Putin. "They thought that Russia wanted to attack NATO."

"Have you gone completely crazy?" he continued. "That is as thick as this table. Who came up with this? It is just complete nonsense, you know? Total rubbish."

Nuclear threats often carry a more ominous tone on Russian-state television, where Putin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov warned last week that "nuclear war is inevitable" while describing efforts to avoid nuclear conflict as "weakness."

While Putin warned the U.S. and its allies on Wednesday against making "Russia out to be the enemy," his press secretary, Dmitry Petrov, called the U.S. "an enemy" in separate remarks during a press conference on Tuesday.

Peskov told reporters that Russia was "now an enemy country for [the U.S.], just as they are for us." He made the remarks while speaking about former American intelligence agent Scott Ritter's claim that the U.S. government blocked him from traveling to Russia.

Peskov lamented that Ritter, a convicted sex offender who frequently provides a pro-Putin American voice in contributions to Russian-state media, was a victim of "the rabid campaign to prevent U.S. citizens from interacting with the Russian Federation."

Update 06/05/24, 6:25 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include additional context.