‘Hope’ that nuclear weapons will not be needed in Ukraine. PUTIN
According to the Russian President Vladimir Putin, there is currently no reason to employ nuclear weapons in Ukraine; he said he hopes that such measures will not be required as the war approaches its third year.
In a documentary aired on the Rossiya 1 television channel, marking 25 years of Putin in power on May 4, Putin restated Russia’s military might and claimed that his country has “enough strength and means” to bring the conflict to a “logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires.”
With reference to the possibility of Russia responding to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory with the use of nuclear force, Putin said, “There has been no need to use those [nuclear] weapons … and I hope they will not be required.”
His statement was made before a Moscow-unilateralized ceasefire for three days from May 8 to May 10, celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Putin described this ceasefire as a test to check whether Ukraine is ready to begin long-term peace negotiations, despite earlier efforts having never worked.
Earlier in the year, Russia called rejection to the joint proposal from Kyiv and Washington that asked for an unconditional ceasefire of 30 days, dismissing the preconditions as “unrealistic.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed serious doubts about Moscow’s sincerity. On a visit to the Czech Republic, Zelenskyy said he had “no belief” in Russia abiding by the ceasefire.
“This is not the first time Russia has promised to stop firing, only to keep on attacking,” Zelensky said at a joint press conference with President Pavel of the Czech Republic.
“According to the military report for today, Russia launched over 200 attacks on Saturday alone—the most in recent months.”
Pavel, a former NATO general, said Russia could stop the war with “one decision” from Putin, but observed that the Kremlin had shown no real “willingness” to pursue peace.
Even through ceasefire talks are floating, fighting goes on on many fronts. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched two ballistic missiles overnight, along with 165 aerial threats made up of drones and decoys. Of these, 69 were intercepted and 80 likely neutralized using electronic jamming.
Russian strikes took two lives on Sunday, one at the Kharkiv region and the other at Sumy, as confirmed by Ukrainian officials. Eleven people were wounded following a drone strike on the capital Kyiv, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
The Defense Ministry of Russia, on the other hand, claimed that thirteen Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight. At the same time, in Bryansk region of Russia, the officials stated that a Ukrainian strike had ruined much of the electrical equipment factory close to the border, with no casualties reported.
