The US takes a potential nuclear threat from Russia very seriously, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in an interview with the Financial Times.
When asked "how seriously did the US take Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear remarks", Anthony Blinken replied that the US was "very concerned" because Putin seemed to be considering a nuclear option. "Even if the probability goes from 5 to 15 percent, when it comes to nuclear weapons, there's nothing more serious".
But nuclear weapons were also one of the few issues on which China could help the US, despite Beijing's support for Russia. "We have reason to believe that China has engaged Russia and said, "Don't go there," the secretary of state said.
He added that a similar dynamic may have been at play when the US told China that Putin was planning to put nuclear weapons in space.
He stressed that Putin had suffered a "strategic defeat" and that NATO was bigger and more resourceful than ever. Without mentioning Trump's criticism that Europe should do more, he said that US allies had provided $150 billion in addition to the $100 billion from Washington. "I don't think anyone can complain that they didn't give their fair share".
He also dismissed suggestions that the Biden administration had been slow to deliver the weapons, saying it should have considered a number of factors, such as whether Ukraine could operate and maintain the systems.
Washington's top diplomat: We take Vladimir Putin's nuclear threat very seriously
Nuclear weapons were also one of the few issues on which China could help the US, despite Beijing's support for Russia
Jan 5, 2025 13:37 215
