War in Ukraine: The battleground
Nuclear option only in the case of threat to existence of state: Kremlin
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MOSCOW • Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told PBS in an interview that Russia would resort to nuclear weapons only in the case of a "threat to the existence" of his country - and not as a result of the current conflict with Ukraine.
"But any outcome of the operation (in Ukraine) of course is not a reason for usage of a nuclear weapon," he said on Monday. "We have a security concept that very clearly states that only when there is a threat to the existence of the state, in our country, we can use and we will actually use nuclear weapons to eliminate the threat to the existence of our country."
There have been concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin could unleash his stockpiles of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. Days after the start of the invasion, Mr Putin said he was moving his nuclear "deterrent forces" to "combat ready" status. This has raised fears that Moscow could use "tactical" nuclear weapons - rather than launch an all-out nuclear war, the BBC reported on March 16.
Meanwhile, the White House has quietly assembled a team of national security officials to sketch out scenarios of how the United States and its allies should respond if Mr Putin were to use chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, The New York Times reported last week.
The Tiger Team, as the group is known, is also examining responses if Mr Putin reaches into North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) territory to attack convoys bringing weapons and aid to Ukraine, according to several officials involved in the process.
The team is also looking at responses if Russia seeks to extend the war to neighbouring nations, including Moldova and Georgia, and how to prepare European countries for the refugees flowing in on a scale not seen in decades.
Just a month ago, such scenarios seemed more theoretical.
But today, from the White House to Nato's headquarters in Brussels, a recognition has set in that Russia may turn to the most powerful weapons in its arsenal to bail itself out of a military stalemate.
REUTERS, NYTIMES
