Putin talks nukes as Kyiv slated for US air defenses

'I hope they will not be required,' Putin said of nuclear weapons on Russian state TV

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Russian state TV
As Russia intensifies its Ukraine strikes, Kyiv is getting another US Patriot air-defense system
(Image credit: Alexander Nemenov / AFP via Getty Images)

What happened

Russian President Vladimir Putin again raised the specter of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, in a state film broadcast Sunday. A day earlier, Kyiv said it shot down two Russian Su-30 fighter jets over the Black Sea using modified U.S.-made missiles fired from Ukrainian sea drones. As Russia intensifies its airstrikes on Ukraine, Kyiv is getting at least one more U.S. Patriot air-defense system, The New York Times said Sunday.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.