Svetlana Makovetskaya, a member of the Human Rights Council, asked the president about the threat of a global nuclear war as he held a meeting of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights. She apologized for the off-topic question, but noted that she could not help but raise a topic about which there were such huge fears.
"As for the threat of nuclear war...you are right. Such a threat is growing, to be honest," Putin replied.
The president stressed that Moscow does not want to be "brandishing" its nukes around the world, but noted that the Russian nuclear arsenal is the most advanced. He also said that nuclear weapons are a part of conflict deterrence.