Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday that Moscow has not needed to resort to nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine and expressed hope that such measures will remain unnecessary. In excerpts from an upcoming documentary interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin, broadcast by state media, Putin said: "There was no need to use the weapons you just mentioned. And I hope there will be no need." He added that Western governments were seeking to provoke Russia into mistakes but claimed his country retains sufficient strength and resources to conclude the conflict on its own terms. The war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year, began with Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Putin also stated that a reconciliation between Moscow and Kyiv is "inevitable," despite the deep suffering and destruction of the war. "It's only a matter of time," he said. The Russian president reiterated longstanding accusations against the West, claiming that the United States and its allies had long plotted to divide Russia and used the Minsk peace agreements of 2014 and 2015 to "rearm Ukraine and prepare for war." "They were deceiving us," Putin said. "This is also an experience for us... and we must, of course, take this into account in the future." He defended Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea as a necessary move to protect its population, asserting that any other choice would have "handed [Crimeans] over to be torn to pieces." — Agencies
