Russia says it has deployed additional personnel to its nuclear forces, putting it at geopolitical risk as its attack on Ukraine enters its fifth day.
But Western nations are not taking this step. President Biden told Americans on Monday that they should not be afraid of a nuclear war, which experts say could help avoid a dangerous escalation of rhetoric.
Moscow's defense ministry said on Monday that its nuclear weapons watchdogs had "begun carrying out combat duties with distributed personnel", meaning the Kremlin would be more prepared to launch nuclear weapons.
The offensive comes in the wake of global condemnation and painful sanctions against Russia by Western powers, as the Kremlin struggles to seize the Kyiv capital.
Although US officials viewed nuclear threats as a currency, the White House noted that they would not "engage" in rhetoric.
"At this time, we see no reason to change our alert level," Press Secretary, Jane Mackie told reporters in her daily press briefing, adding that "nuclear war cannot be won and neither can it." Can be fought. "
"Neither the United States nor NATO has any desire or intention to have a conflict with Russia," Saki said.
State Department spokesman Ned Price echoed those sentiments early Monday, saying "we don't see any reason to change our alert level, but it does increase the risk of miscalculations."
And the Pentagon reiterated that it did not see any significant response to Putin's order.
Asked if the United States had seen a change in Russia's nuclear forces, John Kirby, the Pentagon's press secretary, said: "I have nothing to confirm reports that it has changed its personnel.
Kirby said: "I will tell you that we have seen Mr. Putin's announcement. Are doing, "Kirby said.
Putin, who is no stranger to disgust, warned Western nations last week that if Russia intervened in Thursday's attack on Ukraine, "you will never see the results."
The daring threat, coupled with Moscow's move to develop nuclear weapons on Monday, has raised fears of another Cuban missile crisis - that if the situation escalates further, the United States could be given the largest nuclear weapons. Will have to deal directly with a state equipped with. Conflict
In the past, Russian presidents have said in a 2018 documentary that "if another nation decides to end Russia, we have a legal right to respond. Yes, that is humanity." And there will be destruction for the world. But I am a citizen of Russia and its head of state. Why do we need a world without Russia?
And less than a week before Russian troops moved into Ukraine, the Kremlin launched counterfeit nuclear weapons.
Daniel Freud, the former US ambassador to Poland, quoted former Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev as saying, "Putin's sword recalls some of the things that Khrushchev used to do." "Don't panic and let Putin command us, but you don't. You don't fall into a maze of dangers. You handle it quietly."
Correspondent Tom Malinowski DN. a former diplomat and member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said that despite threats from Moscow, "we have a nuclear deterrent and Putin has completely eliminated it. Understand."
"As far as nuclear warnings are concerned, I think we have to stay calm, not take action," he told CNN's "New Day." "I think it's designed to annoy us and maybe bring our own people together in some illegal way."
The US and Russia generally have their own ground nuclear powers - intercontinental ballistic missiles are kept in silos across the country - and missiles launched from their submarines are always ready for battle, but they destroy bombers. Can. Do not load.
Mark Ken sen, a former defense official at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Western nations were keeping a close eye on Russia's nuclear capabilities and that the United States could begin moving its weapons around Russia in the coming days.
The idea that [Putin] could start moving nuclear weapons, combining them with launchers, is incomprehensible. I definitely hope he doesn't, "said Kens in, who also worked with the Department of Energy on nuclear non-proliferation.
And while Putin's idea of using a nuclear weapon is incomprehensible to many, "he did a lot of things that I didn't think he was going to do. The military."
Another concern is that Putin could use small, strategic nuclear weapons as a warning to the West or use them to break Ukraine's resistance and overthrow his government.
Paul Felgenhauer, a Moscow-based military analyst, told the BBC: "They have no options, because Russia's economy is on Putin's side.
"One option for them is to cut off gas supplies to Europe, hopefully the Europeans will go down. The other option is to have a nuclear weapon somewhere between Britain and Denmark over the North Sea," he said. Explode and see what happens. "
While the United States and Russia currently have only one bilateral nuclear agreement, known as the New Start - which means limiting the number of strategic weapons deployed in each country - it does not cover strategic warheads. Has been
"Nevertheless, the reality is that the United States is determined not to escalate tensions, said James Acton, co-director of the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"First, of all, the lack of change is a good thing! It does not change the fact that Putin made a clear nuclear threat on Sunday, but it did reduce some 'of the' aggression." He said Russia's nuclear use was imminent. But I don't think Putin has ruled it out. All of its options seem bad at the moment. Basically, he can negotiate a ceasefire that respects Ukraine's sovereignty or continues the bloodshed of the traditional war.
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