Kremlin spokesperson says Putin would use nuclear weapons in face of 'existential threat'

• Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, refused on Tuesday to rule out the use of nuclear weapons.

• "If it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be used," he said.

• Russia's policy allows for it to use nuclear weapons in response to conventional warfare.

Russian President Vladimir Putin would use nuclear weapons only if he felt his country's very existence was being threatened, Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, told CNN on Tuesday.

In an interview with Christiane Amanpour, Peskov said Putin's threat to use nuclear arms was meant to send a message.

"President Putin intends to make the world listen to and understand our concerns," he said. "We've been trying to convey our concerns to the world — to Europe, to the United States — for a couple of decades, but no one would listen to us."

Days after Russia's February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Putin ordered his country's nuclear forces to be put on high alert. He has also said any country that interferes with his attack "should know that Russia's response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences as you have never experienced in your history."

Speaking with CNN, Peskov refused to rule out the use of nuclear weapons.

"We have a concept of domestic security, and, well, it's public. You can read all the reasons for nuclear arms to be used," he said. "If it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be used."

According to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a 2020 statement on Russia's nuclear policy, signed by Putin, said the country would use nuclear weapons in two scenarios: in response to the use of nuclear weapons or other unconventional arms against Moscow or its allies, or in response to "aggression" with conventional arms "when the very existence of the state is put under threat."

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