The United States has said it would respond decisively to any Russian use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine.
US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan made this known while speaking to NBC on Sunday.
Sullivan said the United States has spelled out to Moscow the “catastrophic consequences” it would face.
The warning comes after Vladimir Putin made a nuclear threat in a speech last Wednesday.
Sullivan stated that “if Russia crosses this line, there will be catastrophic consequences for Russia. United States will respond decisively.”
Although, he did not describe the nature of the planned U.S. response, he said the United States has privately spelled out in greater detail exactly what that would mean.
According to him, the United States has been in frequent, direct contact with Russia, including during the last few days to discuss the situation in Ukraine and Putin’s actions and threats.
U.S. President Joe Biden had in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, accused Putin of making “overt nuclear threats against Europe” in reckless disregard for nuclear nonproliferation responsibilities.
Russia also was staging a referendum in four eastern Ukrainian regions to annex territory that Russian forces had taken during their invasion of Ukraine launched in February.
Ukraine and its allies have called the referendums a sham designed to justify an escalation of the war and Putin’s mobilization drive after recent battlefield losses.
