No signal of attack preparation – Several senior American officials have reported concerns in Washington as well as in Allied capitals. Vladimir Putin reportedly did not attend the talks, which took place amid escalating Russian nuclear rhetoric and backlash on the ground. But US officials said they saw no evidence the Russians are moving nuclear weapons or using other tactical measures to prepare for an attack.
The information a few weeks ago – Information about the talks leaked inside the US government in mid-October, the NYT says, when Moscow floated the baseless idea that Ukraine was planning to use a so-called “dirty bomb,” an explosive containing radioactive material.
The CIA’s perspective – US officials declined to describe the scenarios being considered by military leaders for using a nuclear weapon. However, William J. Burns, director of the CIA, previously said that Putin’s “potential desperation” for victory in Ukraine and setbacks in the war could lead to Russia deploying one.
Moscow’s stockpile of tactical nuclear weapons – The Pentagon estimates that Russia has two thousand tactical nuclear weapons intended to be used on the battlefield to overwhelm conventional forces. No tactical nuclear weapon has ever been used in combat, but it could be used in a variety of ways, including through rockets or artillery shells.
Putin’s authority – Putin has exclusive authority over the deployment of a tactical device and could make the decision to deploy it independently of the views of his generals.
USA: “Increasingly concerned about the possible use of nuclear weapons by Russians The United States is “increasingly concerned” about the possible use of nuclear weapons by Russia. The spokesman for the American National Security Council said: John Kirby, in a virtual press conference, however, reiterated that there are no signs of an imminent threat. “The US continues to take seriously Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons. We have been doing this since the beginning of the war in Ukraine,” the White House official added, stressing that “we continue to monitor our options as best as we can threat”.