The White House condemns Putin’s talk about the use of nuclear weapons
The White House, Saturday, denounced statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which he hinted at the possibility of using nuclear weapons. The White House also denied that the United States had made any adjustments to its nuclear status in response President Putin’s remarks.
The White House comment came after Putin said that Russia could “theoretically” use nuclear weapons if there was a threat to its territorial integrity or existence, but it did not need to.
In response to questions from reporters aboard Air Force One, Olivia Dalton, deputy spokesman for the White House, also confirmed the United States’ commitment to the principle of joint defense of NATO.
And Russian President Putin announced, on Friday, that his country First batch of nuclear weapons transferred to BelarusIn a practical translation of what Moscow had previously announced in March, indicating that Russia has “more nuclear weapons than NATO,” stressing: “The use of nuclear weapons is possible if we face a threat to our security.”
“The first nuclear warheads have been transferred to the territory of Belarus. It is only the first. By the end of summer, we will complete this work completely,” Putin said during an economic forum in St. Petersburg (northwest), which was reported live by Russian television.
He stated that the “deployment of tactical nuclear weapons” in Belarus was the result of an agreement announced in March with President Alexander Lukashenko, who put his country’s territory at Moscow’s disposal to attack Ukraine. Putin considered that this matter constitutes a deterrent to “those who think of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.”
For his part, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said there was “no reason” for the United States To change its nuclear status after Moscow deployed nuclear warheads in Belarus.
He told reporters: “We have no reason to change our nuclear status .. We do not see any indication of Russia’s willingness to use a nuclear weapon.”
Blinken said that “what is ironic” is the Russian president’s transfer of nuclear weapons to Belarus, while he justified his invasion of Ukraine by preventing Kiev from acquiring similar weapons. He also criticized the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, for accepting these weapons from Moscow.
Before that, the US Secretary of Defense said that NATO’s defense spending must be increased, stressing by saying: “We will not be dragged into Putin’s war that he chose, but we will support NATO’s deterrent means.”
