Appearing on CBS “Face The Nation” on Sunday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that President Biden has warned Russian leader Vladimir Putin that the United States will “respond decisively” if he moves to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.
“We have communicated directly, privately, at very high levels, to the Kremlin that any use of nuclear weapons will be met with catastrophic consequences for Russia, that the United States and our allies will respond decisively. And we have been clear and specific about what that will entail,” Sullivan told host Margaret Brennan, according to The Hill.
“We have, in public, been equally clear as a matter of principle that the United States will respond decisively if Russia uses nuclear weapons, and that we will continue to support Ukraine in its efforts to defend its country and defend its democracy.”
Sullivan also expressed concern over Russian military presence at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the largest such plant in Europe.
“It’s been put into cold shutdown to make it less likely that there’s some kind of catastrophic incident at the plant. It’s actually still being operated by Ukrainian operators who are essentially at gunpoint from the Russia occupying forces. And the Russians have been consistently implying that there may be some kind of accident at this plant,” Sullivan said.
The comments from the top White House national security adviser came after Putin last week hinted at being willing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Read it at The Hill.
