'Irresponsible Rhetoric': U.S. Responds To Putin's Nuclear War Blackmail

The United States on Thursday sharply criticized Vladimir Putin's latest remarks in which the Russian leader warned of a risk of nuclear war. "It is not the first time we have seen irresponsible rhetoric from Vladimir Putin," State Department's spokesperson Matthew Miller told TURAN's Washington correspondent during a daily briefing: "It is no way for the leader of a nuclear-armed state to speak."

In his annual state of the nation address, Putin warned the West of "tragic consequences" for any country that sends troops into Ukraine to defend against Russia's invasion. "Everything that the West comes up with creates the real threat of a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons, and thus the destruction of civilization," Putin said.

Miller, in response to TURAN's questions about Putin's remark, said that the U.S. has communicated in the past privately and directly with Russia about the consequences of the use of a nuclear weapon. 

"That said, we do not have any sign that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon, and we will continue to monitor this carefully," the spokesperson concluded.