Burns: There was a real risk of Russian nuclear weapon use

(Patria) - There was a real risk that Russia could use tactical nuclear weapons in the first months of the war in Ukraine, CIA Director William Burns revealed at the FT Weekend festival in London.

Burns said that the sudden breakthrough in northeastern Ukraine at the time fueled fears that Putin might resort to the most extreme measures, reports Index.hr.

- In the autumn of 2022, there was a real risk of possible use of tactical nuclear weapons - Burns said, reports The Telegraph.

- The President sent me to talk to my Russian counterpart to clearly convey what the consequences of such an escalation would be. We continued to be very direct in those conversations.

We could not allow ourselves to be intimidated by such saber-rattling or threats. But we had to be aware of the possibility that something like that could happen - Burns explained.

Burns met with his Russian counterpart in Ankara in November 2022. The White House also reported on that meeting at the time: "Burns will convey a message about the consequences of any Russian use of nuclear weapons and the risks of escalation for strategic stability".

The Telegraph recalls that in October 2022, fears of a possible Russian attack emerged after Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that Ukraine planned to use a radioactive dirty bomb. It was suspected that the Russians might carry out an attack and blame Kyiv for it.

Russian state media claimed at the time that Kyiv was collecting nuclear material for a dirty bomb or a low-yield weapon.

Great Britain immediately rejected these claims, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was clear that Russia itself was planning an attack with a dirty bomb.

- All the time there is only one side talking about nuclear escalation, and that is Putin. This is deeply irresponsible and no one in the West will be intimidated by such threats or any other behavior of the Russian state.

Putin is a thug. He will continue to rattle his saber from time to time, but he seems to have become desperate - emphasizes the head of British intelligence (MI6) Richard Moore.