Putin sees nuclear weapons as "opportunity for retaliatory counterstrike"

Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 7 said the risk of a nuclear war is increasing.

"This risk [of nuclear war] is increasing. Why deny it?" he said at a meeting with the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, TASS reports.

The subject of a possible nuclear conflict was brought up by Svetlana Makovetskaya, director of a foundation called the Center of Civil Analysis and Independent Research Grani. She said there was a "large number of fears" with respect to the issue and proposed that the president, in a gesture of goodwill, make a statement that Russia will under no circumstances be the first to use nuclear weapons.

The Russian leader said Russia regards nuclear weapons as a means of defence, as an opportunity for a retaliatory counterstrike.

"Our strategy for using the means of defence - and we regard weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons as defence - it’s all built around the so-called retaliatory counter strike, meaning when a strike is being inflicted on us, we inflict one in response," Putin said.