U.S. officials say no threat Russia will use nuclear weapons, despite rhetoric 

The U.S. Defense Department stated on Friday that it does not believe there is a threat of Russia using nuclear weapons, despite recent threats from the Kremlin that the threat of nuclear war is higher than ever.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one senior Defense Department official told reporters, “We continue to monitor their nuclear capabilities every day the best we can and we do not assess that there is a threat of the use of nuclear weapons and no threat to NATO territory,” Reuters reported.

The Kremlin’s rhetoric, however, has gotten increasingly more hostile in recent weeks.

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the West is “in essence” engaged in a proxy war with the Kremlin that could escalate into a nuclear world war.

“The risk is serious, real. It should not be underestimated,” Lavrov told reporters. “Under no circumstances should a third world war be allowed to happen,” he said, adding that “there can be no winners in a nuclear war.”

According to Russia’s top diplomat, Washington and its European allies are upping the risk of a nuclear conflict by providing arms to Kyiv. In his own words, “NATO is, in essence, going to war with Russia through a proxy and arming that proxy,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

Furthermore, the Kremlin announced earlier this month that it plans to deploy its new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles – capable of striking American targets – within the next few months.

The first warning bells sounded in Western capitals right after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. In a speech shown across Russian media, the Russian leader warned Washington and its European allies that any attempt to get in Russia’s way “will lead you to such consequences that you have never encountered in your history.”

In recent weeks, however, Western leaders have signaled that concerns of escalation are diminishing.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this week that he believed Russia now had room to end the conflict and was unlikely to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Similarly, CIA Director William Burns said the threat of nuclear aggression from Russia should not be disregarded, but noted the CIA has seen little evidence to reinforce that concern.

Since Russia first invaded Ukraine more than two months ago, thousands of civilians have been injured or killed and over 6 million people have been forced to seek refuge abroad.