Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Sunday said it was possible that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, although he hasn’t seen indications that such a decision has been made.
“The guy who makes that decision is one man. There are no checks on Mr. Putin,” Austin told CNN. “Just as he made the irresponsible decision to invade Ukraine, you know, he could make another decision. But I don’t see anything right now that would lead me to believe he has made such a decision.”
Austin, a former Raytheon board member, was responding to questions about Putin’s recent warning that Russia could use nuclear weapons to defend its “territorial integrity.” Russia’s territory will now extend into the Donbas, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine after Putin signed off on the annexation of the territories, which is expected to be ratified by Russia’s houses of parliament this week.
Austin made clear that the US won’t recognize the territories as Russian and said there will be no change to Washington’s support for Kyiv despite the warnings from Putin and the major risk of escalation.
“We can expect the Ukrainians will continue to move forward in an attempt to take back all of the territories within their sovereign borders. I don’t think that’s going to stop and we are going to continue to support them in their efforts,” Austin said.
Ukraine responded to Putin signing off on the annexation by vowing to “liberate” all of the territories.
“We will continue to support Ukrainians, as you heard our president say, for as long as it takes,” Austin added. On Friday, President Biden signed a stopgap funding bill that includes up to $16 billion in new aid to support Ukraine in its war, bringing total US spending on the war to over $67 billion.
So very, very thrilled to live in the US today where a benighted old coot totters around saying whatever occurs to him, perhaps occasionally, dimly remembering advice from his jejune admin staff and ultra-self-interested experts, whose words of wisdom only add to the insanity. I fear his finger nearing the literal death football more than I fear that of V. Putin. Although, of course, said old coot can certainly continue to conspire and fund and arm Ukraine, a country in which the US should have little to do, and provoke V. Putin to insane relatiation. That seems to be the plan. Kablooey!
!!! The last time I saw the word “kablooey”, was in a ‘Tom and Jerry” cartoon!
We should employ it more often , Donna 😉
I thought is was Wiley Coyote.
It probably was Wiley Coyote, lol.
What happens when its 10% on the ukraine border & 90% on the polish side that is inserting weapons in the conflict?
Poland is a trouble maker.
Be afraid, Be VERY afraid. I would give it a week before nukes are deployed in Ukraine at the rate Mr. Z keeps mouthing off.
Austin Says It’s Possible Biden Could Use Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine
In a false flag operation?
Nuclear weapons are only a deterrent if we believe they will be used. We all know that, Biden should stop the fear mongering propaganda. Putin only reminded NATO that Russia does have nuclear weapons and they will use them just as Americans would and have used them in the past.
Biden will do anything to destroy Russia, Biden is devious and vicious. He is showing his true colors.
During the Vietnam war, we had on the books operational plans to use low level nukes.
And they used Agent Orange and Napalm.
Our Defense Secretary is a real genius.
The Biden people are more likely to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. For Russian people it is still a part of Russia and Putin and Russian people at heart are Europeans, they do not want to destroy their continent, the US/UK would not hesitate to destroy it.
Look at what we did to Dresden, other German cities that had not military relevance. Look what we did to Hiroshima, Nagasaki. Before the bombs were dropped, we fire bombed Japan. So it goes.
Russians have been very restrained in Ukraine, they are Europeans too and the last thing they want to do is to annihilate Europe, not so Biden and his war criminals, they live on another continent.
Is US planning a false flag operation with nukes and then blame “Putin” for it? “See, we told you so”. Is that not always the way the empire operates?
I sure as hell hope not! But…
Hope is not enough, double down and pray. /s
I believe in prayer and I am often very frank with God about how messed up things are down here. I wish God had a better sense of humor but wait, maybe God does have a sense of humor…Hmmm.
Donna, you and I have very different views on religion, though I completely respect yours. But truthfully, if there were a god, wouldn’t he/she already be aware of the clusterf*ck down here? 😉
“Alls we are saying… Is give peace a chance…”
That does not include Biden and his entourage of sh*t-heads.
You got that right…!!!
I would not call him that, because that assumes there is something in his cranium.
😂
It seems clear the incorporation of the 4 oblasts into Mother Russia signals her commitment to a qualitative leap in escalation (presumably strategic bombing eliminating command & control, central government, and all strategic infrastructure) when Ukraine attacks any of the four. It is still far short of meeting the criteria laid out in her nuclear posture doctrine. Apparently the MSM has orders to elicit nuke talk whenever or wherever possible.
Forces will withdraw to the perimeters of those territories, considering those territories to be part of Russia. Other forces enter at their own risk.
Do you think Washington would be satisfied with that?
“The guy who makes that decision is one man. There are no checks on Mr. Putin,” Austin told CNN. “Just as he made the irresponsible decision to invade Ukraine, you know, he could make another decision.”
Funny. Lloyd seems to be bragging about our “checks and balances” while ignoring our past, present (and future) “irresponsible” decisions that make Russia look like peaceniks in comparison. Ask W. Or Bolton.
Bill Clinton (Kosovo).
I vividly remember when “W” told party leaders that he wouldn’t go into Iraq without an endorsement from the UN.
Austin statement is not out of place. Putin and his inner circle have been using that crazy Nuke rhetoric for a while. Putin has lied to our faces in the last 6 months many times. For example, Putin: “We are not invading Ukraine, that’s a fabricated West lie to create Hysteria.” Well, he did invade.
Austin is out of place for fear mongering. So is Medvedev.
Notice all of the western rhetoric is aimed at Putin while nothing at all is said about Liz Truss (who said only a month ago that she’s ready to push the button.)
Or ask yourself why WE cancelled the ABM treaty and the Intermediate Nuclear Weapons Treaty.
How was it in the interest of peace for NATO to upgrade its own tactical nuclear arsenal starting in 2012.
Who introduced the W48 tactical nuke?
Who’s been talking nukes since the beginning of the War? I have been pointing this out for months. I’m on record. You are now coming forward because the West finally got tired of the threats and are responding with their own statements.
JFK: “Above all, while defending our own vital interests, nuclear powers must avert those confrontations which bring an adversary to a choice of either a humiliating retreat or a nuclear war.”
That’s a sage observation on JFK’s part.
Hopefully Putin can find a way to make his retreat less humiliating than that. If he can blunt the Ukrainian advance into Donetsk and buy time with a slow/stubborn withdrawal from Kherson/Zaporihzhia to defensively deploy his conscript levies along a line of control that protects LPR/DPR/land corridor to Crimea, he can hopefully “negotiate” “giving up” Kherson/Zaporihzhia and declare “victory” without having to throw too many Russians in jail for laughing at him.
LOL Are you going to be butt-hurt when the Russian flag is over Kiev and Russian Rosgvardia are guarding the Polish border. Your level of delusion and hatred for Russia is full on display.
You seem to have a real obsession with the idea that if someone turns out to be wrong, he’s going to be really “butt-hurt” about it. Projection, perhaps?
If my assessment of the situation is wrong, it’s wrong. No biggie. If I’m wrong, then when I realize I’m wrong I’ll say “well, I was wrong,” and move on, just like I did when my prediction that the Russian forces would quickly mop the floor with the Ukrainian forces, take what they came for, and have it over with, turned out to not be true. And others will have gained some information on whether or not, or how much, to trust any assessments I offer in the future.
My “hatred for Russia” exists in only one place, and that place is your fevered imagination. In point of fact, I seem to have a higher opinion of both Russia in general and Vladimir Putin in particular, than you do.
Might as well say you’re wrong now because it’s entirely obvious you are. And you’re too ignorant and stupid to comprehend it, so waiting for you to realize that is pointless. And lying about your Russian hatred just demonstrates even more of your intellectual dishonesty. You’re little more than a troll. You should go over to MoA and join the flood of trolls polluting the threads there.
If I’m wrong, we’ll find out and I’ll admit it.
If you’re wrong, we’ll find out and you’ll have a million and one excuses for why you really aren’t.
As for “Russia-hatred,” I have a long record of proving irrefutably otherwise. And you know it. But liars gonna lie.
That’s right – liars gonna lie, as you’ve proven once again. And “morons gotta moron”, which is also true of you.
Did you just tell one of the mods he’s a troll? You …. You seem confused, dear.
He is a troll. The only time he comments in Ukraine threads is to cast doubt on Russia’s ability to defeat Ukraine, which is ludicrous. Then he lies about doing so. Plus he’s delusional in thinking that Russia has any possibility of losing or being forced out of Ukraine. He’s the one that is confused.
And you only post onanistic diatribes about Russian military prowess. So make that makes you a troll too?
No, it makes you a troll. Sayonara, fucknuts.
https://media0.giphy.com/media/26FKW7v8Gd1h2Np5K/giphy.gif
No, he’s not a troll, because “troll” is defined as anyone who doesn’t enthusiastically affirm his fantasies.
Thomas, I don’t believe there’ll be a retreat.
The people have spoken and Putin will not abandon them.
ByeDone, on the other hand, will employ nuclear warfare to do anything in its power to ensure that Russia does not emerge victorious.
Time to let sleeping dogs lie. ZelBoy could have resisted the United Snakes and not-so- Great Britain months ago and given in to negotiations.
If you think “the people have spoken,” that thing you’re doing that you think is thinking isn’t.
And Putin shows no more signs of giving a tinker’s damn about “the people” than Zelensky or Biden anyway.
Thomas I don’t believe for one moment that Putin doesn’t give a damn about the Russian ethnics in the annexed territories.
Of course it’s true that Amerikkka doesn’t give one rat’s ass about the Ukrainian people, they’re just convenient collateral damage in Washington’s war against Russia.
Feel free to explain why you think [sic] that Putin is magically more morally pure than all other politicians at the “competing empires” level. I’ve seen no evidence that he is. For a couple of decades, he happened to be smarter about how he addressed his empire’s interests, but that’s not the same thing.
All right Thomas, give me a bit of a break here; I have Covid and am suffering from a bit of brain fog.
Because it’s the IMPRESSION I get from Putin. As a Pisces, I’m very intuitive and good at reading people. Sometimes our senses are the best thing we can resort to.
Get well soon!
Thanks Thomas! 😁
Back to before-Iraq days! Hussein could use nuclear weapons! The mushroom cloud!
My G-d! The yellow cake in the vial shown by Col. Powell. The horror!
That’s a very bad flashback…
Because there are no good ones.
Typical тупица!
Austin is a moron. Russia has zero need for nukes in Ukraine – unless the US supplies them to Ukraine or uses them in Ukraine itself.
Is it possible the US could use nukes in the Ukraine? Of course it is. Is it possible that Pakistan could use nukes in the Ukraine? Of course it is.
The USA has a knack for finding absolute lowest-level candidates for its top jobs, but Blinken and Austin really take the cake. Instead of the USA listening to Putin, these two ensure that the story spread about any Russian action or inaction is their twisted version. After 20 years any fair listener can tell that Putin does not lie, and his demands are actually often reasonable!!!
Russia is winning in Ukraine and the whole point is to protect Russia from attacks and nukes from NATO. Why would anyone (except Austin) even think that nuking Ukraine (next door) would help?? Needling Russia and China to goad them is a cowardly technique to avoid any chance of peace and cooperation, which both are trying under very difficult circumstances, but plenty of countries support their efforts.