WASHINGTON: Russia would only use nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict if it were facing an “existential threat”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN International on Tuesday.

“We have a concept of domestic security, and it’s public. You can read all the reasons for nuclear arms to be used,” Peskov said. “So if it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be used in accordance with our concept.”

Peskov’s comment came as interviewer Christiane Amanpour pushed him on whether he was “convinced or confident” that Putin would not use the nuclear option in the Ukrainian context.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2022