CNN —
As concerns grow that Vladimir Putin will escalate Russia’s war in Ukraine, the United States is considering how to respond to a range of potential scenarios, including concerns that the Russians could use tactical nuclear weapons, according to three sources briefed on the latest intelligence.
Since the conflict began, the U.S. has been developing contingency plans to respond, including the possibility that Russia’s president could escalate with a step just short of a nuclear attack on Ukraine in what one source described as a “nuclear display.” , such as a potential military strike on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant or detonation of a nuclear device at high altitude or far from populated areas.
Officials warn that the US has not detected preparations for a nuclear strike. But experts see them as potential options for the US to prepare for as Russia’s invasion falters and as Moscow annexes more Ukrainian territory.
US officials also took a somber note from the Russian president’s repeated public threats to use nuclear weapons. In a televised address late last month, Putin said: “If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will without a doubt use all available means to defend Russia and our people. This is not a bluff.
On Friday, at a ceremony where he announced the illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions, Putin said Russia would use “all available means” to defend the areas, adding that the US had “set a precedent” for nuclear attacks in its bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.
“Putin is capable of anything,” Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN. While noting that there is still no evidence of preparations for such an attack, Quigley added: “You have to take it seriously.”
The US is exploring the range of potential scenarios in order to have contingency plans for how it and its partners would respond to such attacks. The potential for a “nuclear show” is considered an option if Putin stops short of ordering a nuclear strike against Ukrainian forces or populations, opting instead for what one official described as a “show of bravado.”
A nuclear strike is still considered unlikely, although concern among US officials about the potential for such an attack has grown in recent weeks. “Defeat,” said a source briefed on the intelligence, “is not an option for Putin.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in an exclusive interview with CNN that aired Sunday that he has seen nothing to suggest that Putin has decided to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
“To be clear, the person making that decision, I mean, is one person,” Austin said of Russian nuclear threats in an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on “Fareed Zakaria GPS.”
“There are no checks on Mr. Putin. Just like he made the irresponsible decision to invade Ukraine, you know, he can make another decision. But at the moment I see nothing that would lead me to believe that he has made such a decision.
Although there is growing public opposition to the war in Russia, the US believes that Putin is under greater pressure from hard-line nationalists who are pushing for a further escalation of the conflict, said one source briefed on the intelligence.
Asked about CNN’s “New Day” report Monday, John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, said the U.S. is “closely” monitoring Russia’s actions at the Zaporizhzhia power plant amid concerns that Putin could escalate his war with Ukraine and has been “considering” the response to a possible use of nuclear weapons by Russia.
While the U.S. has not seen anything that has changed the U.S. strategic posture, “we are watching this as closely as possible,” Kirby said, adding, “We take these threats seriously.”
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