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Would Putin Detonate Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine?

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Last Updated 10 months ago

James Stavridis"I don't see Putin deciding to use a nuclear weapon."Sep 26, 2022

yahoo!news

William Alberque"Though it is unlikely that Russia will use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, the risks are real."Apr 01, 2022

AlterNet

Fiona Hill"Well, yes, he [Putin] would [launch a nuclear attack]."

Dmitry Peskov"No one [in Russia] is thinking about using, about — even about idea of using a nuclear weapon."Mar 29, 2022

PBS NewsHour

Ira Helfand"[T]he crisis in Ukraine is putting exactly that possibility [of a nuclear war between the US and Russia] on the table again."Feb 23, 2022

Democracy Now

James Acton"We are not at that point [when Putin would use a nuclear weapon inside Ukraine] yet."

Nicolo Fasola"There's a definite risk that Putin would use nuclear weapons to counter a Ukrainian offensive in Crimea."

Oleksiy Reznikov"My personal opinion is that Putin won't use nukes."

Harry Kazianis"[T]he chances of a nuclear war increase significantly every day that passes."

Steven Pifer"There are reasons to believe Moscow would not press the nuclear button."

Pat BuchananPutin has sent many signals that "he will use battlefield nuclear weapons from his arsenal of 6,000 such weapons to win the war."

Mitt Romney"I think it's extremely unlikely that he [Putin] would move in that [using tactical nuclear weapons] direction in the current conflict."Mar 02, 2022

CBS News

Matthew Bunn"The long-term probability of nuclear war has probably increased slightly."Nov 19, 2024

thenewyorktimes

Dmitry Medvedev"Imagine if the offensive, which is backed by NATO, was a success and they tore off part of our land, then we would be forced to use a nuclear weapon.

Barry Posen"If the Russian campaign starts to feel like it's a military catastrophe, that's where escalation to nuclear weapons comes into play."Mar 06, 2022

Newsweek

Kevin Ryan"The bottom line is that the use of a nuclear weapon [in Ukraine] is entirely feasible."Dec 03, 2023

Daily Mail

Matthew Bunn"Putin might consider taking similar action [use tactical nuclear weapons in a battlefield context] with respect to Ukraine."

Alexander Lukashenko"Never, never has President Putin or the Russian leadership set a goal to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine."Oct 14, 2022

NBC

Mikhail Kasyanov"I don't think he [Putin] will turn to a nuclear weapon for the simple reason that he realizes he himself would be immediately eliminated."Sep 23, 2022

Newsweek