The United States sees no signs that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons amid threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
White House Press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre stated this during the briefing.
"As for evidence [of preparations for the use of nuclear weapons] or chances, we have not seen it at this time. We take these threats very seriously, but we have seen no reason to change our own level of nuclear readiness at this stage," Jean-Pierre emphasized.
- On September 21, Putin announced a partial mobilization in Russia, supported the holding of pseudo-referendums in the occupied territories of Ukraine and threatened nuclear weapons in the event of an attack on the Russian Federation. In fact, he hinted at the possibility of nuclear strikes if the Ukrainian Armed Forces continued to liberate the occupied territories.
- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Putinʼs threat is "dangerous and reckless".
- On September 25, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the Administration of President Joe Biden privately told the Kremlin that any use of nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine would have "catastrophic consequences" for Russia.