As he cruises toward another election “victory” on Friday, Vladimir Putin is increasing the frequency of his public appearances. (That’s probably relatively easy when all of your viable opponents mysteriously keep winding up dead.) This week he gave an interview to Russian state television and the subject of the Ukraine war inevitably came up again. Seemingly unprompted, Putin declared that he was “ready” to use nuclear weapons if he believed that there was any threat to “Russian statehood, sovereignty, or independence.” When the reporter asked if he was specifically considering using nukes in Ukraine, Putin vaguely responded in the negative. While this interview was broadcast on state television, Putin’s intended audience was clearly an international one. (Associated Press)
President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if there is a threat to Russian…
