Putin says he hopes there will be no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Putin says he hopes there will be no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine
Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with attendees of "Znanie" youth forum at the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. (File/AFP)
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Updated 04 May 2025

Putin says he hopes there will be no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Putin says he hopes there will be no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine
  • Fear of nuclear escalation has been a factor in US officials’ thinking since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said in comments broadcast on Sunday said that the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine had not arisen, and that he hoped it would not arise.
In a fragment of an upcoming interview with Russian state television published on Telegram, Putin said that Russia has the strength and the means to bring the conflict in Ukraine to a “logical conclusion.”
Responding to a question about Ukrainian strikes on Russia from a state television reporter, Putin said: “There has been no need to use those (nuclear) weapons ... and I hope they will not be required.”
He said: “We have enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires.”
Putin in February 2022 ordered tens of thousands of Russian troops into Ukraine, in what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation” against its neighbor.
Though Russian troops were repelled from Kyiv, Moscow’s forces currently control around 20 percent of Ukraine, including much of the south and east.
Putin has in recent weeks expressed willingness to negotiate a peace settlement, as US President Donald Trump has said he wants to end the conflict via diplomatic means.
Fear of nuclear escalation has been a factor in US officials’ thinking since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. Former CIA Director William Burns has said there was a real risk in late 2022 that Russia could use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.


Weapons cache linked to Hamas found in Vienna by Austria’s intelligence service

Weapons cache linked to Hamas found in Vienna by Austria’s intelligence service
Updated 4 sec ago

Weapons cache linked to Hamas found in Vienna by Austria’s intelligence service

Weapons cache linked to Hamas found in Vienna by Austria’s intelligence service
A 39-year-old unidentified British citizen allegedly “having close ties to the weapons cache” was arrested in London
The Directorate for State Security and Intelligence takes consistent action against all forms of extremism, said Austria’s interior minister

VIENNA: Austria’s domestic intelligence service has uncovered a weapons cache in Vienna that is believed to be linked to the Palestinian militant group Hamas for use in “possible terrorist attacks in Europe,” the government said Thursday.
A 39-year-old unidentified British citizen allegedly “having close ties to the weapons cache” was arrested in London on Monday, the interior ministry statement said.
“According to the current state of the investigation, Israeli or Jewish institutions in Europe were likely to be the targets of these attacks,” it added.
The weapons cache and the suspect were part of an internationally coordinated investigation by the country’s Directorate for State Security and Intelligence service, or DSN, “into a global terrorist organization with ties to Hamas.”
In the course of the investigations, the ministry said its intelligence service found “suspicion that a group has brought weapons into Austria to use in possible terrorist attacks in Europe.”
The weapons cache, which is thought belongs to unspecified foreign operations linked to Hamas, was discovered in a suitcase in a rented storage room in Vienna and contained five handguns and 10 accompanying magazines.
“The current case shows once again that the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence has an excellent international network and takes consistent action against all forms of extremism,” Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said. “The mission is clear: zero tolerance for terrorists.”
Britain’s National Crime Agency confirmed on Thursday that the 39-year-old was arrested in central London on Monday by specialist officers from the NCA’s National Extradition Unit. He is being held in custody until his next appearance at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday.