Lavrov said in a televised interview India TodayWhen asked about the matter, he said, “At this point, we are only considering the option of conventional weapons.”

The Russian diplomat’s comment came after CIA Director William Burns last weekend. He warned That Russia can use weapons Nuclear strategies If its regular forces in Ukraine continue to face problems.

However, Burns said there were no signs that Russia was preparing for such a move.

Although Official nuclear strategy Russia has ruled that nuclear weapons can only be used in response to an occupation with conventional weapons that threaten the equivalent attack of a foreign power or the “existence” of the Russian state, and Moscow has sent conflicting messages in this regard.

Russia says it has no plans to use nuclear weapons, but is constantly reminded of them
On February 27, when it became clear that troops sent to Ukraine would not be able to reach their targets quickly in the early days of the invasion, President Vladimir Putin He ordered Warns of “maximum alert” to the country’s nuclear deterrent forces.



The order, issued during a televised meeting with the commanders of the Russian Armed Forces, came as a surprise to Defense Minister Sergei Choiku.

The Russian state media immediately began to talk about the possibility of using nuclear weapons. Asking questions live “What good is it in this world if Russia does not exist?”

Dmitry Medvedev, former Prime Minister of Russia and currently the Vice President of the Security Council, Russia Holds the right Nuclear weapons must also be used against an enemy that uses only conventional weapons.

The Kremlin talks about nuclear weapons in the Baltic region
However, a few days later, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov He promised He emphasized that Russia did not want to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine, and that no one in Moscow was thinking about it.

But on April 14, Russia He recalled Its nuclear weapons, The largest in the worldIt said the Baltic Sea without nuclear weapons could no longer be discussed in the context of negotiations Finland and Sweden join NATO.

Dmitry Medvedev, one of President Vladimir Putin’s close allies at the time, said: “There is no question that the Baltic region is a nuclear-free zone – the balance must be restored.”

Russia Russia-ukraine conflict