Russia has never proactively talked about the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons, while heated rhetoric on this topic is used to influence our supporters, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club, Interfax reported.

According to Putin, "provocations with nuclear weapons, and the build-up of the possibility of the very thesis of Russia using nuclear weapons are used precisely to achieve these goals - to influence our friends, our allies, and neutral states, to tell them: look who you support, what a terrible country Russia is, no need to support it, no need to cooperate with it, no need to buy anything from it, no need to sell it anything."

"In fact, this is a primitive goal," Putin noted.

Putin said: "We have never proactively said anything about Russia's possible use of nuclear weapons, but only responded in hints to the statements made by the leaders of Western countries."