Controversy
Status:Open

Would Putin Detonate Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine?

Fiona Hill
James Stavridis
Steven Pifer
Mitt Romney
Pat Buchanan
William Alberque
+1
UNLIKELYLIKELY

Claims

James Stavridis
James Stavridis"I don't see Putin deciding to use a nuclear weapon."Sep 26, 2022
William Alberque
William Alberque"Though it is unlikely that Russia will use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, the risks are real."Apr 01, 2022
Fiona Hill
Fiona Hill"Well, yes, he [Putin] would [launch a nuclear attack]."Nov 11, 2024
Dmitry Peskov
Dmitry Peskov"No one [in Russia] is thinking about using, about — even about idea of using a nuclear weapon."Mar 29, 2022
Ira Helfand
Ira Helfand"[T]he crisis in Ukraine is putting exactly that possibility [of a nuclear war between the US and Russia] on the table again."Feb 23, 2022
James Acton
James Acton"We are not at that point [when Putin would use a nuclear weapon inside Ukraine] yet."Mar 18, 2022
Nicolo Fasola
Nicolo Fasola"There's a definite risk that Putin would use nuclear weapons to counter a Ukrainian offensive in Crimea."Sep 14, 2023
Oleksiy Reznikov
Oleksiy Reznikov"My personal opinion is that Putin won't use nukes."Oct 26, 2022
Harry Kazianis
Harry Kazianis"[T]he chances of a nuclear war increase significantly every day that passes."Jul 06, 2023
Steven Pifer
Steven Pifer"There are reasons to believe Moscow would not press the nuclear button."Oct 10, 2022
Pat Buchanan
Pat BuchananPutin has sent many signals that "he will use battlefield nuclear weapons from his arsenal of 6,000 such weapons to win the war."Nov 11, 2024
Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney"I think it's extremely unlikely that he [Putin] would move in that [using tactical nuclear weapons] direction in the current conflict."Mar 02, 2022
Matthew Bunn
Matthew Bunn"The long-term probability of nuclear war has probably increased slightly."Nov 19, 2024
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev"Imagine if the offensive, which is backed by NATO, was a success and they tore off part of our land, then we would be forced to use a nuclear weapon.Nov 11, 2024
Barry Posen
Barry Posen"If the Russian campaign starts to feel like it's a military catastrophe, that's where escalation to nuclear weapons comes into play."Mar 06, 2022
Kevin Ryan
Kevin Ryan"The bottom line is that the use of a nuclear weapon [in Ukraine] is entirely feasible."Dec 03, 2023
Matthew Bunn
Matthew Bunn"Putin might consider taking similar action [use tactical nuclear weapons in a battlefield context] with respect to Ukraine."Jun 16, 2023
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Lukashenko"Never, never has President Putin or the Russian leadership set a goal to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine."Oct 14, 2022
Mikhail Kasyanov
Mikhail Kasyanov"I don't think he [Putin] will turn to a nuclear weapon for the simple reason that he realizes he himself would be immediately eliminated."Sep 23, 2022


Sign up to our daily newsletter