In an interview with PBS in English, Peshkov was asked to clarify the comments of former President Dmitry Medvedev, who has listed scenarios in which Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if faced with an existential threat. Russia has about 6,000 nuclear warheads, and Medvedev said Russia’s nuclear doctrine does not require an adversary to use such weapons first. Medvedev’s remarks followed a nuclear warning from President Vladimir Putin that his nuclear forces had been put on “high alert” following the February 24 invasion. Last week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned Russia’s “nuclear rattlesnake.” Peshkov said “there is no doubt” that Russia would achieve “all the objectives of our special military operation in Ukraine,” according to the official Russian description of the war, “but any outcome of the operation, of course, is not a reason to use nuclear weapons.” weapon “. “We have a concept of security that states very clearly that only when there is a threat to the existence of the state in our country,” Peskov said, “can and will we use real nuclear weapons to eliminate the threat or existence of a country.” “Let’s keep these two things separate,” Peshkov said. “I mean, the existence of the state and the special military operation in Ukraine have nothing to do with each other.” Peshkov said Putin’s comments on Russia’s nuclear capabilities were a “warning to the various states not to get involved in the Ukraine-Russia affair.” When interviewee Ryan Chilcott said Putin’s comments suggested that Russia would turn to nuclear weapons if a third party were involved, Peshkov replied: “No, I do not think so, but he was bold enough to say that, do not interfere.” “If you do that, we will have every opportunity to prevent it and to punish anyone who intervenes.” When Chilcote called on Peshkov to rule out the use of nuclear weapons, as the war in Ukraine would never threaten Russia’s existence, the Kremlin spokesman said, “no one is thinking of using even the idea of using nuclear weapons.” Asked about President Joe Biden’s warning to Putin not to “go to an inch of NATO territory” and whether Russia would consider sending troops to a member of the alliance, Peshkov said: “If it is not a reciprocal practice, so if you do not force us to do this, we can not think about it. “ The Kremlin spokesman also described Biden’s description of Putin as a “butcher” and that it was “impossible” for him to remain in power – “quite worrying” – prompting the White House to insist that he not call for regime change. However, Biden said Monday that he would not apologize for saying Putin “could not stay in power.” In a press conference, Biden said that while he “does nothing back” in what he said, the statement reflects a personal belief, not a change of policy. The Kremlin spokesman added: “First of all, it is [a] personal insult. And one can hardly imagine a place for personal insult to rhetoric [sic] of a political leader, “he said,” so we’re really sorry about that. “And his statement about whether Putin should or should not be in power in Russia. Of course, it is completely unacceptable. It is not up to the President of the United States to decide who will be and who is the president of the Russian Federation,” he said. Peshkov. Newsweek contacted the White House and the Kremlin for comment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov is coordinating the annual press conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Manezh Exhibition Center in central Moscow on December 23, 2021. Peshkov told PBS that no one in Russia is considering using nuclear weapons. NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA / Getty Images
