October 2, 2022

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he expects President Vladimir Putin to continue to suggest he might use nuclear weapons in Russia’s war with Ukraine — and that it is possible he could actually do so.

“There are no checks on Mr. Putin,” Austin said in a CNN interview that aired Sunday morning. “Just as he made the irresponsible decision to invade Ukraine, you know, he could make another decision. But I don’t see anything right now that would lead me to believe he has made such a decision.”

In recent days, Putin raised the stakes of the war by holding votes in support of annexation in parts of Ukraine that Russia has occupied, and then annexing those four regions despite an international outcry against his actions. Russia can now claim that Ukraine is invading Russian territory if it tries to regain that land. Putin said Friday he would consider the use of “all available means” in defense of his nation.

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