(MENAFN) According to top US officials, the US has privately warned Russia of "catastrophic" consequences if it uses nuclear weapons as part of its invasion of Ukraine.
In a speech Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a thinly veiled threat to use nuclear weapons while announcing the mobilization of reservists in response to Ukrainian gains on the ground.
In an interview broadcast Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed reports that the US had privately warned Russia to avoid nuclear war.
"We have been very clear with the Russians publicly, and, as well as privately, to stop the loose talk about nuclear weapons," Blinken informed the CBS News program "60 Minutes" in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
"It's very important that Moscow hear from us and know from us that the consequences would be horrific. And we've made that very clear," Blinken asserted.
"Any use of nuclear weapons would have catastrophic effects for, of course, the country using them, but for many others as well."
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