Putin calls nuclear weapons a tool of deterrence in Ukraine

By E. EDUARDO CASTILLO and JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories into Russia as a major achievement of what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation.” Speaking Wednesday with members of the presidential Human Rights Council, Putin also described his country’s nuclear weapons as a tool of deterrence in the war in Ukraine. In late September, Putin illegally annexed four regions of Ukraine. He has repeatedly said that Russia was ready to use “all available means” to protect its territory, including the annexed areas of Ukraine. On Wednesday, he rejected Western criticism that those statements amounted to nuclear saber-rattling. “We haven’t gone mad. We are fully aware of what nuclear weapons are,” Putin said.