ADDS FURTHER REMARKS BY RUSSIAN PRESIDENT
By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said he hopes that there will be no need for the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
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."
Putin also commented on who may potentially succeed him as Russia's president, saying he "frequently" thinks about the topic, and that he is considering possible candidates and evaluating their potential.
"But ultimately, the choice is up to the people -- the Russian people, the citizens, the voters. A person who does not have the trust of the people is unlikely to have a chance to do something serious. This is an absolutely fundamental issue,” Putin added.
"Therefore, when I think about this, ... I think about the fact that an individual, or better yet, several individuals capable of gaining the trust of the citizens, must surface so that people have a choice," he added.