US warns of 'decisive' reaction if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine amid war

As the ruthless war in Eastern Europe continues unabated, the National Security Advisor of the United States, Jake Sullivan on Sunday warned by saying that his country and its allies will react "decisively" if Russia deploys a tactical nuclear weapon in war-torn Ukraine. In response to growing worries that Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats are more likely to take place, Sullivan told CBS’s Face The Nation, “We have communicated directly, privately and at very high levels to the Kremlin that any use of nuclear weapons will be met with catastrophic consequences for Russia, that the US and our allies will respond decisively, and we have been clear and specific about what that will entail”.  

According to Sullivan, Russian President Putin has been "waving around the nuclear card" at different instances during this war and Biden's government has to "take deadly seriously" the possibility of using nuclear weapons for the first time since World War II. 

It is pertinent to mention that the Russian government has been receiving warnings from the US administration for a number of months about the "grave consequences" of using nuclear weapons. Earlier, the message that US President Joe Biden and his advisers have conveyed in public was demonstrated by Washington's private conversations with Moscow, according to a report by The Washington Post quoting US sources. As per media reports, Russian President Putin ordered a partial mobilization of Russian forces and issued a warning that Moscow would employ "all the means" to protect its territory. 

US will not be deterred by Russia's nuclear threat: Jake Sullivan

Furthermore, the administration’s security chief, Jake Sullivan stated that the US and its allies will not be deterred by Russia's nuclear threat to Ukraine, particularly by expanding its nuclear sphere of influence over eastern regions of the nation that are still under dispute seven months after its invasion. 

Sullivan also remarked, highlighting the $15 billion worth of weaponry that the US has sent to Ukraine, including air defense systems and a large number of artillery pieces and rounds that they will continue to help Ukraine in its attempts to protect its nation and preserve its democracy.  

The mobalisation of Moscow’s army troops, according to him, was a "sham referenda in the occupied regions" that wouldn't stop the US. Sullivan further claimed, “What Putin has done is not exactly a sign of strength or confidence – frankly, it’s a sign that they’re struggling badly on the Russian side,” The Guardian reported.  

The fall of Russian forces, however, is "too soon to make comprehensive predictions," Sullivan continued. 

Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the embattled Ukrainian President, stated in a separate interview with CBS that he was unsure whether Putin was playing a bluff by making nuclear threats. "Maybe yesterday it was bluff. Now, it could be a reality," he noted. According to Zelenskyy, Putin just wants to terrify the whole world. 

(Image: AP)