Nandita Bose

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – The United States doesn’t see any reason for raising its nuclear alert levels right now, a White House official stated Monday. It was after Russia placed its nuclear deterrent high on alert following a torrent of Western reprisals.

In an interview with MSNBC, Jen Psaki stated that “we haven’t changed our alerts” and also said they haven’t changed their assessment of the threat.

Russia’s Defence Ministry Monday reported that the country’s nuclear-missile forces and its Northern and Pacific naval fleets were placed on enhanced combat duties, according to Interfax. The report was in compliance with an order President Vladimir Putin had given the day before.

On Monday, President Joe Biden called allies and friends of the United States. A U.S. official stated that a nuclear conflict must not be waged. Biden received the support of leaders from Canada and other countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy.

An official from the White House told Reuters Putin is escalating war by using “dangerous rhetoric”, and that Russia has long acknowledged that nuclear weapons would cause catastrophic consequences.

The White House official stated that a nuclear war could not be won and would never be waged. “Provocative rhetoric concerning nuclear weapons, which we believe is dangerous and increases the chance of miscalculation should not be allowed,” said a White House official.

According to the official, “no reason” for us to alter our alert levels while we are evaluating Putin’s directive. The official stated that neither NATO nor the United States have any intention of conflict with Russia.

The White House also pointed out Russia has signed https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/06/16/u-s-russia-presidential-joint-statement-on-strategic-stability onto joint statements affirming a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.

Russian and Ukrainian officials met at the Belarusian border for talks on a ceasefire. However, invading Russian troops met determined resistance by civilians and Ukrainian troops on Monday.

Russia’s invasion in Ukraine has also provoked a coordinated response from the West, which was unprecedented in terms of its scope and coordination.

On Monday, America blocked Americans’ participation in any transaction involving Russia’s central bank. It was an utter blow to Russia’s economy.