The US says it will not provide nuclear weapons to Ukraine

“America is not a party to this conflict,” Donfried said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. Ukrainebut there will be no such thing as we provide nuclear weapons for Ukraine”.

Senator Ed Markey (Democrat) pressed Donfried to state publicly that the United States “does not want to pose an existential threat” to Russia, and will not be the first to launch nuclear weapons. But Ms. Donfried did not directly answer MP Markey’s question. Instead she stressed that the US is not directly involved in the Ukraine conflict, and therefore is not at war with Russia.

On the same day, Russia’s Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev warned the West that the increased military support of these countries to Ukraine risks igniting a conflict between Moscow and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO) is led by the United States.

“NATO countries bring weapons into Ukraine, train Ukrainian troops to use Western equipment, send mercenaries to the battlefield, and conduct military exercises near our borders. All these things. increases the possibility of an outbreak of direct and open conflict between Russia and NATO,” Medvedev wrote.

“Such a conflict always has the potential to turn into an all-out nuclear war,” Medvedev stressed. “This will be a tragedy for everyone.”

Russia and the United States are currently the two largest nuclear powers in the world. Russia has about 6,257 nuclear warheads while NATO’s three nuclear powers – the US, UK and France – have about 6,065 warheads combined.

Russia has previously asserted that it can use nuclear weapons in the event of a pre-nuclear attack on its territory/infrastructure, or if the very existence of the Russian state is threatened by such weapons. nuclear/conventional weapons.

The US, meanwhile, claims that its nuclear weapons are used to deter nuclear attacks against the US and its allies.

In addition, the use of nuclear weapons could also be considered “in cases where it is necessary to protect the vital interests of the United States, and its allies and partners.