The United States does not see any signs that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.
Source: Bloomberg.
State Secretary of the United States, Antony Blinken, stated to journalists on Friday, June 16, in response to Russian dictator Putin’s statement about transferring nuclear weapons to Belarus. According to Blinken, Washington also sees no need to change its defense position.
“We have no reason to adjust our own nuclear position. We see no indications that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons,” said Blinken.
Nuclear weapons and Putin
On June 16, while speaking at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia theoretically has the ability to use nuclear weapons if there is a threat to its territorial integrity or existence, but it does not need to do so.
The leader of the aggressor country, Putin, also stated today that the first nuclear warheads are already located on the territory of Belarus. They plan to relocate the rest by the end of 2023. The document on the procedures for maintaining weapons on the territory of the Republic of Belarus was signed by the defense ministers of Russia and Belarus in March of this year.
Earlier, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, Matthew Miller, stated that the agreement between Russia and Belarus on the placement of tactical nuclear weapons demonstrates an increasing loss of control by Alexander Lukashenko over the country in favor of Russian leadership.