TheUnited States is not "taking lightly" the possibility that Russia may seek to regularly use nuclear weapons in Ukraine as Moscow continues to face difficulties on the battlefield. That's according to CIA Director Bill Burns on Thursday.
"Given the potential desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the military failures they have faced so far, none of us can take the threat of nuclear weapons 'lightly,'" he said in a speech at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
There are no indications yet of such a step
The CIA is "watching developments very carefully," Burns said. But he stressed that the U.S. has not yet seen indications that Russia is preparing to take such a step.
"While we are hearing statements from the Kremlin's side about moving to higher levels of nuclear alert, so far we have seen no practical indications of the kind of deployments or military dispositions that would heighten that concern - but we are watching it very closely," Burns added.
Still, he warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is becoming increasingly isolated and that "his appetite for risk has increased as the belt around Russia tightens."
"His circle of advisers is even narrower, and in that small circle it is hard to question his judgment or his stubborn, almost mystical belief that his destiny is to restore Russia's sphere of influence," Burns added.
Source: in.gr
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