Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he is putting Russian nuclear forces on high alert following statements from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukraine and Russia would engage in their first diplomatic talks since the invasion of Ukraine began.
Putin said he was raising the alert status in response to "aggressive statements" from the West against Russia. The move does not mean that Putin is planning to use nuclear weapons but it has been condemned by Western leaders as a dangerous and irresponsible threat meant to put pressure on Ukraine.
United States Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in an interview with ABC that, "We've seen him do this time and time again. At no point has Russia been under threat from NATO. This is all a pattern from President Putin."
In an interview with CNN, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, "This is dangerous rhetoric. This is a behavior which is irresponsible. And of course when you combine this rhetoric with what they are doing on the ground in Ukraine - waging war against an independent, sovereign nation, conducting full-fledged invasion of Ukraine - this adds to the seriousness of the situation."
