The US government says there is no indication that the Kremlin plans to use nuclear weapons to attack Ukraine.
“WE DON’T SEE ANY SYMPTOMS”
“We do not see any indication that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after Putin’s speech.
Belarus is an important ally of Russia and played an important role in Putin’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
Russia is weaker in terms of tactical nuclear warheads than its other nuclear arsenal.
st. Answering questions after a speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said the move was intended to “reinforce” and was “a reminder to those who are considering inflicting a strategic defeat” on Russia.
“WHY THREATEN THE WHOLE WORLD?”
When asked about the possibility of using these weapons, Putin replied:
“Why should we threaten the whole world? I have said before that it is possible to use extreme measures if there is a danger to the Russian state.”
CALL FOR NEGOTIATIONS FROM AFRICAN COUNTRIES
After the leaders of African countries visited Kiev on Friday as part of the peace initiative they presented to Russia and Ukraine, Putin went to St. Petersburg to meet with African leaders.
But while the African leaders were in Kiev, the city was attacked by Russian missiles.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called on both sides to de-escalate and negotiate for peace.
“We came here to listen and understand what the Ukrainian people are going through,” said Ramaphosa.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that diplomatic relations should be frozen in order to send the message that the occupation is condemned by the international community, instead of making diplomatic openings to Russia.
Zelensky said he would not enter into negotiations with Moscow as long as Ukraine continued to occupy its territory.
Putin said Ukraine had no chance of success in its ongoing counteroffensive.
The Russian leader said that the Ukrainian army is running out of its own military equipment and will soon use only the equipment donated by the West.
“You can’t fight like this for long,” Putin said, warning that “they will undoubtedly burn” for F-16 US warplanes to be delivered to Ukraine.
Ukraine has previously denied similar statements, claiming that they are making progress in retaking Russian-held territory in both eastern and southern Ukraine.
The BBC cannot independently verify the claims on the battlefield.
Also touching on economic issues, the Russian leader claimed that Western sanctions against Russia failed to isolate Russia and instead led to increased trade with “markets of the future”.
Praising the new agreements with Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin American countries, Putin described these countries as “reliable responsible partners”.