CIA: Putin may resort to nuclear weapons after setback

Russian President Vladimir Putin may resort to nuclear weapons after Russia’s military setbacks. CIA chief William Burns said this during a speech at a university in the American city of Atlanta on Thursday.

Burns says a nuclear threat should not be taken lightly “given Putin’s potential desperation”. The CIA chief says Putin could decide to use “limited” tactical nuclear weapons. These nuclear weapons are less powerful than the atomic bomb that destroyed the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945.

Burns, who once served as ambassador to Russia, said he was “very concerned” in his speech. According to the CIA chief, “President Biden is also deeply concerned about avoiding World War III in which a nuclear conflict becomes possible.”

Putin announced at the end of February, a few days after the invasion of Ukraine, that he would prepare Russia’s nuclear weapons as a deterrent. However, Burns says he has seen “little practical evidence” of actual weapons use since then. A Kremlin spokesman said last month that Russia would only deploy nuclear weapons if its existence is threatened.