Comments aired ahead of Putin’s three-day ceasefire, as Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says he does ‘not believe’ Russia will stick to pledge.
Published On 4 May 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that there has so far been no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, expressing “hope” that they will not be required.
Putin said his country had enough “strength and means” to bring the three-year war, sparked by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, to a “logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires”. His comments were part of a documentary marking his quarter century in power by state television channel Rossiya 1 that was released on Sunday.
Responding to a question from journalist Pavel Zarubin about the Russian response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, Putin said: “There has been no need to use those [nuclear] weapons … and I hope they will not be required.”
His comments came ahead of his unilaterally declared three-day ceasefire over May 8-10 to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany in World War II, an initiative that he claimed would test Kyiv’s readiness for long-term peace.
Moscow earlier rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire proposed by Kyiv and Washington in March.
‘No faith’
Speaking during a visit to the Czech Republic, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he did “not believe” Russia would adhere to its truce. “This is not the first challenge, nor are these the fir