Putin says he hopes use of nuclear arms in Ukraine will not be needed

In an interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin on an upcoming documentary film, excerpts of which were shared by state media outlets, Putin said his country has not yet needed to use such arms since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, which began on Feb. 24, 2022.

“They (the West) wanted to provoke us, they wanted us to make mistakes. There was no need to use the weapons you just mentioned. And I hope there will be no need,” Putin expressed.

Putin argued that Moscow has enough strength and resources to bring the armed conflict to its "logical conclusion," and with the "result that Russia needs."

He also argued that a reconciliation between Russia and Ukraine is “inevitable,” saying that it is only “a matter of time” despite the “tragedies” experienced amid the ongoing armed conflict, now in its fourth year.

The Russian president accused the West of wanting to "divide" the country into multiple parts in the 2000s, further arguing that their "geopolitical adversary was acting very insidiously, saying one thing and doing something completely different."

Commenting on the Minsk agreements, a series of deals signed in 2014 and 2015 to secure an end to conflict in eastern Ukraine, Putin said they hoped the deals would be observed when they were signed, but that they were "deceived."

He further argued that the West used the agreements as a "pause" to "rearm Ukraine and prepare for war with Russia."

"This is also an experience for us. And we must, of course, take this experience into account in the future," Putin noted, claiming they were "forced" to annex Crimea in 2014, because any other action would have meant "handing" its people "over to be torn to pieces."