Russian President Vladimir Putin has alleged that Western powers attempted to provoke Moscow into using nuclear weapons during its ongoing war in Ukraine — a move he says Russia resisted, despite the pressure.
The remarks were made in a new documentary film marking Putin’s 25 years in power, according to local media reports on Monday. “They wanted to provoke us, they wanted to make us make mistakes,” Putin stated, referring to what he described as efforts by NATO and its allies to lure Russia into a catastrophic military overreaction.
He stressed that although Russia possesses the capability to deploy nuclear weapons, there was “no need” to do so — and expressed hope that such a decision would remain unnecessary in the future.
“There was no need to use nuclear weapons,” Putin said. “And I hope that this will not be necessary in the future either.”
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Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Since then, the Kremlin has regularly issued veiled and direct threats about potential nuclear retaliation, particularly as Western nations continue to supply arms and intelligence to Kyiv.
In late 2022, U.S. intelligence reportedly assessed that Russia might be preparing to deploy a nuclear weapon. At that time, Washington delivered an explicit diplomatic warning to Moscow, signaling grave consequences should such an action be taken.
The tension escalated further in November 2024, when Russia reportedly tested a new medium-range missile on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro — an act widely seen as a signal of potential nuclear escalation.
Despite ongoing fears and harsh rhetoric, Putin maintained in the documentary that Russia has “sufficient forces and means to achieve everything necessary” in Ukraine without resorting to weapons of mass destruction.
His latest remarks appear aimed at projecting strategic restraint while reaffirming Russia’s military capabilities in the face of prolonged conflict and international isolation.
NAN
