2024-03-01 01:43:21
The United States on Thursday denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warnings regarding the risk of nuclear war, calling them “irresponsible,” but said there was no indication of an imminent threat.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters, “This is not the first time we have seen irresponsible speech from Vladimir Putin. The leader of a nuclear-armed country cannot speak in this way.”
He added, “In the past, we communicated privately and directly with Russia regarding the repercussions of using nuclear weapons.”
Miller explained, “We have no indication that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon.”
In turn, French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Thursday to reporters near Toulouse, “I listened carefully to what the President of the Russian Federation said this morning. When you represent a nuclear power, you do not have the right to be irresponsible and escalate.”
In a speech to the nation on Thursday, Putin warned the West of “tragic consequences” for any country that sends troops to Ukraine to fight once morest the Russian army.
The Russian President stressed that “everything the West creates creates a real danger of a conflict using nuclear weapons, and thus the elimination of civilization.”
Last Friday, Putin announced the modernization of 95 percent of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces, noting that the Air Force had just received 4 new hypersonic bombers capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Putin made these statements in a recorded speech on the occasion of the anniversary of “Defenders of the Fatherland” Day, or what is known as Defender of the Fatherland Day in Russia, which is a special celebration for the armed forces.
The Russian President stated, “Today, the share of modern weapons and equipment in the strategic nuclear forces has reached 95 percent, and in the naval component of the nuclear triad it has reached regarding 10 percent.”
“Next is the development and serial production of promising models, and the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies into the military field,” he noted.
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