Rovelli, speaking on Joe Rogan’s podcast, discusses Russia: “Never before has a nuclear power been bombed.”

“Ukraine is bombarding Moscow with Western weapons. Never in the last century has a nuclear power been bombarded on its own territory.” So said theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli in an interview with Joe Rogan, the most influential podcaster on the American right. During the two-and-a-half-hour episode of the "Joe Rogan Experience", Rovelli also discussed the conflict in Ukraine, a subject on which he has for years expressed views tending toward extreme pacifism. In particular, he is said to oppose the sending of military support to Kyiv. In a speech he gave at the 1 May concert in 2023, he had criticised military spending and the “salesmen of weapons” who manufacture instruments of death “to kill one another”, going on to mention Defence Minister Guido Crosetto: “He was very close to one of the world’s largest arms manufacturers, Leonardo.”

On Rogan’s hugely popular podcast, he simply reiterated his scepticism about the way the West is handling the conflict in Ukraine: “In the last century, it had never happened that a nuclear power was bombed on its own territory. It was considered unthinkable. Now we’re doing it.” In reality, it isn’t exactly the first time. Last year, in fact, there was a brief but intense military crisis between India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers. Specifically, in May 2025, the Indian army launched an operation against targets described as ‘terrorist’ (involving missile strikes) on the Pakistani territory of Punjab and certain infrastructure in six towns in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.  In the clip circulating on social media, Rovelli continues his argument, claiming that “we, the West, are in a sense betting on Putin’s reasonableness, trusting that he will not resort to nuclear weapons. It’s not a serious bet, is it?”