MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th November, 2022) US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Saturday that Russia may resort to "nuclear sabre-rattling" in the Ukraine conflict, and if such a scenario takes place, the Ukrainian allies would meet these challenges together with Kiev.
"Now we know that hard times may lie ahead as Ukraine faces a harsh winter. And as Russia's position on the battlefield erodes, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin may resort again to profoundly irresponsible nuclear sabre-rattling. But we will meet these challenges together," Lloyd told the Halifax international security forum in Canada.
The defense secretary also said that Russia had a large army and powerful weapons, but it does not determine the conflict's outcome.
Last week, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement confirming that Russia's nuclear deterrence policy was guided by the postulate of the inadmissibility of nuclear war, as there could be no winners in such a conflict.
In October, Putin said that Russia had never proactively said anything about using nuclear weapons, noting that such speculations are being used by the collective West to influence countries that have a more friendly attitude toward Russia.
