US says 'nuclear war must never be fought,’ after Putin warning

The United States has said that a “nuclear war is something that must never be fought,” after Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that nuclear tensions had risen because of the war in Ukraine.

Putin warned Wednesday that the Ukraine war could go on for a long time.  He also spoke about the risk of a nuclear war but added that Russia has not “gone mad” and sees its own nuclear arsenal as a purely defensive deterrent.

The Russian leader said Moscow would not transfer its nuclear weapons to anyone as Washington has stationed some of its nukes in NATO allies in Europe.

"We have not, and are not, transferring our nuclear weapons to anyone, but, of course, we will protect our allies with all the means at our disposal, if necessary," Putin said

"Russia will under no circumstances use them first,” he added.

"But if it does not use them first under any circumstances, then it will not be the second to use them either, because the possibilities of using them in the event of a nuclear strike against our territory are very limited," Putin said.

Putin says Russia's military operation in Ukraine could take a long time

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said the war in Ukraine could turn into a “long-term process”, adding that achieving all the objectives will take time.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price was asked about Putin's remarks. He did not reply directly but said, "We think any loose talk of nuclear weapons is absolutely irresponsible."

Price said that nuclear powers around the world since the Cold War, including China, India, the United States and Russia itself, have been clear that "a nuclear war is something that must never be fought and can never be won."

"We think any other rhetoric -- whether it is nuclear saber-rattling or even raising the specter of the use of tactical nuclear weapons -- is something that is irresponsible," Price said.

"It is dangerous, and it goes against the spirit of that statement that has been at the core of the nuclear non-proliferation regime since the Cold War," he said.

The United States has privately warned Russia for several months of "consequences" for any use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, according to American officials, while Moscow has advised Washington of its nuclear “red line”.

Unnamed officials told The Washington Post in September that the Biden administration had publicly been purposefully vague about what those consequences would be in an attempt to build concern among Russian leaders, a method of nuclear deterrence called “strategic ambiguity.”

US President Joe Biden has warned Putin against thoughts of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, adding that it would “change the face of war unlike anything since WWII.”

Russia began its “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24, with a declared aim of “demilitarizing” Donbas, which is made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk self-proclaimed republics. Back in 2014, the two republics, which are predominantly Russian-speaking, broke away from Ukraine, prompting Kiev to launch a bloody war against both regions. The years-long conflict has killed more than 14,000 people, mostly in the Donbas.

Since the onset of the February conflict between the two countries, the United States and its European allies have unleashed an array of unprecedented sanctions against Russia and poured numerous batches of advanced weapons in Ukraine to help its military fend off the Russian troops, despite repeated warnings by the Kremlin that such measures will only prolong the war.

US will be the first country to pull the nuclear trigger: Academic

The United States will be the first country to pull the nuclear trigger, an American academic and political commentator has warned.

The United States will be the first country to pull the nuclear trigger, an American academic and political commentator has warned.  

Daniel Kovalik, an academic at the University of Pittsburgh, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV and other American officials.

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