Ukrainian forces fight back with weapons from the Russian Army itself or from allies abroad 2:52
(CNN) --
Russian President Vladimir Putin's main spokesman acknowledged that Russia has yet to achieve any of its military objectives in Ukraine and refused to rule out that Moscow may resort to the use of nuclear weapons.
In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday, Dmitry Peskov repeatedly refused to rule out Russia considering using nuclear weapons against what Moscow considers an "existential threat."
Asked under what conditions Putin would use Russia's nuclear capability, Peskov replied: "If it is an existential threat to our country, then it can be."
Putin has previously hinted at the use of nuclear weapons against nations he deems a threat to Russia.
As early as February, Russia's president said in a televised statement: "No matter who tries to stand in our way or, even more so, create threats to our country and our people, they should know that Russia will respond immediately, and the consequences will be like never before." have seen throughout their history.
He then said in a televised meeting with Russian defense officials that "officials from leading NATO countries have indulged in aggressive comments about our country, so I am ordering the defense minister and the chief of staff to put the Russian Army Deterrence Force on combat alert."
Asked what Putin thought he had achieved so far in Ukraine, Peskov replied "Well, first of all, not yet. He hasn't achieved it yet."
The spokesman also claimed that the "special military operation," the Kremlin's official euphemism for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, was "proceeding strictly in accordance with the plans and purposes established in advance."
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Peskov also repeated Putin's demands, saying that the "main objectives of the operation" are "to get rid of Ukraine's military potential", to ensure that Ukraine is a "neutral country", to get rid of "nationalist battalions", that Ukraine accepts that Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, is part of Russia and accepts that the breakaway states of Luhansk and Donetsk "are already independent states."
He also stated that Russia has only attacked military targets, despite numerous reports of Russian airstrikes against civilian targets harboring ordinary Ukrainians.
The interview comes at a time when Western intelligence sources are reporting that Russia's operations in parts of Ukraine have ground to a halt.
Nuclear weaponsWar in UkraineVladimir Putin