Amid the worrying development, the office of Ukraine’s president said a delegation would meet with Russian officials as Moscow’s troops drew closer to Kyiv.
Kyiv: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday ordered Russian nuclear forces to be put on “high alert”, fearing further escalation of tensions between eastern and western countries over Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Putin said he made the decision in response to “aggressive rhetoric” by major NATO member states.
The order means Putin wants to keep Russia’s nuclear weapons ready to fire. Due to his decision, the clouds of nuclear war have started hovering in the world. As Moscow’s forces drew closer to Kyiv, Ukraine’s presidential office said a delegation would meet with Russian officials. Putin cited not only statements from NATO member states to put nuclear weapons on ‘alert’ but also the sanctions imposed by Russia and Western countries against himself (Putin).
In a meeting with top officials, Putin ordered Russia’s defense minister and the chief of the Military General Staff to keep anti-nuclear forces “ready for war-related responsibility,” Putin said in a televised statement. “Western countries are not only imposing economic sanctions against our country, but high officials of major NATO member states have made aggressive statements regarding our country.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Putin was following what he had been saying for several weeks before the attack on Ukraine. Saki said Putin is “creating threats that don’t exist to justify the attack.”
“The global community and the American people should see it that way. We have seen him (Putin) do this many times.” Saki told ABC’s program This Week that Russia was never threatened by NATO or Ukraine. “It’s all President Putin’s way and we will stand against it…, we have the ability to defend ourselves,” Saki said.
On Moscow’s decision, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield said in a news program, “The way President Putin is escalating this war is completely unacceptable.” “We must condemn his action in the strongest possible terms,” he said. What is the practical meaning of Putin’s order is not yet clear.
