Russian leader Vladimir Putin declared in an interview with State TV Kremlin reporter recently that Russia has enough military power to finish its operation in Ukraine and achieve its objectives without using nuclear arms.
"Several efforts were made to press us into making this error (using nuclear weapons) but we have enough force to pursue objectives without using this," stated Putin.
He said that the task includes "the elimination of the initial causes of this crisis, the creation of conditions for the long-term and sustainable peace and the assurance of security to Russia." The interview is to be shown on Sunday evening.
At the beginning of the war in February 2022, Putin had stated Russia's objectives as the "denazification and demilitarisation of the former Soviet republic and its neutral status."
Putin underlined that the long-lasting peace and safeguarding of Russian-speaking peoples' rights in Ukraine should be the core results of Moscow's special military operation. He made this statement during his conversation with VGTRK reporter Pavel Zarubin.
Again and again, Putin has underlined the necessity of settling the conflict through a focus on Russia's interests, which he sees as a prerequisite for long-lasting peace. "This is the only possibility to create long-term peace, which Moscow needs," the TASS news agency reported.
Putin's interview timing is also coinciding with the forthcoming phone call between him and US President Donald Trump on Monday. It is a follow-up call after failed ceasefire talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiation teams during meetings on May 16 in Istanbul.
Putin indicated Moscow's readiness to respect American interests and expectations of mutual treatment. "Americans, the whole people of America and the US leadership, including the president, have their national interests, and we respect that. We hope that we will be treated in the same way," he said.
Meanwhile, US President's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has conducted three rounds of meetings with Putin. Progress has been said to have been achieved on thorny issues such as the status of Crimea and Russian-controlled regions, and Ukraine's non-entry into NATO. There are, however, still differences regarding Ukraine's demilitarization and the presence of foreign troops on its territory as a "reassurance force."
On the ground, as reported by the Russian Defence Ministry as cited by TASS on Sunday, Ukraine is also enduring significant losses, with as much as 1,245 servicemen casualties every day in the conflict zone. Russian military has carried out intensive firing of Ukrainian military facilities, hitting 139 targets within the past 24 hours.
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