Putin may use nuclear weapons in Ukraine as “last resort,” claims report

Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to intensify the war in Ukraine after concluding that negotiations for a peace deal have reached a dead end, possibly even using nuclear weapons, claims a report by Bloomberg citing people “close to the Kremlin”.

For now, Moscow is considering a stepped-up campaign of powerful conventional ballistic missile strikes targeting the center of Kyiv and infrastructure in other Ukrainian cities, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The sources described the collapse of existing negotiation frameworks, leaving both sides effectively back at square one after roughly a year and a half of US-mediated efforts under the Trump administration.

Putin is not expected to end the conflict because of Western sanctions or Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries, energy infrastructure, and logistics networks, they said.

Four people close to the Kremlin added that Russia now sees few alternatives to further escalation in pursuit of its military objectives and does not view the current phase of hostilities as the peak.

Moscow is increasingly framing Ukrainian deep strikes on its energy and logistics targets as effectively NATO attacks, given that alliance members supply Kyiv with weapons and intelligence.

Russian officials still hold limited hopes that a visit by US special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff could bring new proposals, though expectations for a diplomatic breakthrough remain low.

The escalating spiral of strikes is leading a growing number of Russian officials to conclude that Putin could eventually opt to use tactical nuclear weapons as a last resort in Ukraine.

“An extreme response is viewed as possible because the only outcome worse than continuing the war for Putin would be losing it,” says the report.

The volume of chatter from hawkish voices advocating such a step has increased recently, though the outlet stressed there is currently no indication Russia is preparing to fire nuclear weapons.

Tactical nuclear weapons, which generally feature lower-yield warheads and shorter ranges than strategic ones, are designed primarily for battlefield use rather than the destruction of cities.

Their potential employment has long concerned Western officials, with Putin having repeatedly employed nuclear rhetoric to deter greater support for Ukraine.

Russia’s partners, including China, have strongly opposed any such move.

Experts largely assess the risk as low.

Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin, called the chances of tactical nuclear use “extremely low,” noting that such weapons offer limited utility on a modern dispersed battlefield while the political cost of breaking the nuclear taboo would be severe.

“As long as Moscow has room to escalate with conventional weapons, including by intensifying missile strikes, it has little incentive to cross the nuclear threshold,” Gabuev said.

Fiona Hill, a Brookings Institution senior fellow and former adviser to three US presidents, observed that Putin continues testing Western resolve, recalling earlier US warnings of a conventional military response to any nuclear strike.

The report coincides with a visit to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe for talks between intelligence services, which the Kremlin confirmed did not include a meeting with Putin.

US President Donald Trump said his administration is “working very hard” to end the war and that “something may come out of” the trip.