E-Paper
'Unacceptable escalation': US hits out over Vladimir Putin’s nuke alert
Citing aggressive statements by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday ordered to increase the readiness of Russia's nuclear weapons amid fears that the full-scale attack on Ukraine might lead to a nuclear war.
The United States has sharply reacted to Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear alert that was issued in view of escalating tensions with Ukraine. Citing aggressive statements by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Putin on Sunday ordered to increase the readiness of Russia's nuclear weapons amid fears that the full-scale attack on Ukraine might lead to a nuclear war. The United States said on Sunday that Putin's nuclear alert represented an unacceptable escalation of the invasion in Ukraine.
Also Read| 'Next 24 hours critical': Ukraine on edge ahead of Russia talks - 10 updates
"This is a pattern that we've seen from President Putin through the course of this conflict, which is manufacturing threats that don't exist in order to justify further aggression," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told ABC on Sunday.
Meanwhile, a senior official of the Pentagon told reporters the United States government had no doubts that's Putin's nuclear alert was genuine. The official, however, said that there were no details regarding how wills the alert be implemented.
Also Read| Ukraine, Russia battle for control
“We believe that this is not only an unnecessary step for him to take, but an escalatory one. Unnecessary because Russia has never been under threat by the West, by NATO and certainly wasn't under any threat by Ukraine. And escalatory because it is clearly potentially putting in play forces that, if there's a miscalculation, could make things much, much more dangerous,” the Pentagon official told reporters on Sunday on the condition of anonymity.
Russia's nuclear announcement comes as its forces face strong resistance from the Ukrainian military. The general staff of Ukraine's armed forces described Sunday as a difficult time as Russia continued shelling in almost all directions.
Also Read| World's 'biggest' plane, 'a symbol of hope', destroyed by Russia, says Ukraine
Despite Moscow and Kyiv being ready to hold talks in Belarus, Russian forces continued their invasion in Ukraine as they took over another city- Berdyansk late Sunday. The forces have also made advances towards Kherson, a city situated in South Ukraine.
According to Ukraine's interior ministry, more than 350 civilians have been killed and 1,684 wounded since the attack began on February 24.
(With agency inputs)
