Kirby: US takes Putin's words on nuclear arms seriously

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The United States takes Russian President Vladimir Putin's words about nuclear weapons use seriously but sees no need to boost the readiness of its own strategic deterrent forces at the moment, National Security Coordinator John Kirby said on Wednesday.

"We always have to take this kind of rhetoric seriously. It is irresponsible rhetoric for a nuclear power to talk that way," Kirby told ABC News.

The US official added that the US is monitoring the situation but sees no need to boost its own strategic forces' readiness.

Earlier in the day, Putin signed an order calling up 300,000 reservists to support Russian forces in Ukraine.

The Russian President also accused the west of using the threat of nuclear weapons to blackmail Russia and warned that Moscow will use all means in case its territorial integrity is threatened.

Read more: Russian Defense Minister: 300,000 reservists will be called to serve

Zelensky says does not believe Putin will use nuclear arms

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told German media on Wednesday he does not believe Russia will use nuclear weapons after Putin said Moscow would use all means to protect its territory.

"I don't believe that he will use these [nuclear] weapons," Zelensky told the TV station of Germany's Bild newspaper. Smooth-talking the West like he has done since the beginning of the world, the Ukrainian President said, "I don't believe that the world will allow him to use these weapons." 

Scholz calls Putin's announcements "act of desperation"

On his part, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday considered Putin's order for a partial military mobilization to support Russian forces in Ukraine and hold accession referendums an "act of desperation."

Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Scholz insisted that Russia cannot win what he called a "criminal war" in Ukraine and that Putin "with his most recent decision makes everything much worse."

The German leader claimed that Putin had "from the start completely underestimated Ukrainians' will to resist," as well as the "unity and determination" of Kiev's allies.

"Sham referendums" in four regions of Ukraine would "of course never be accepted" by the international community, Scholz said, and would hence be "no justification" for Russia's "intention, namely to conquer land of its neighbour with violence."

Read more: White House rushes to denounce referenda results prior to happening

"In the world in which we live, the law must win out over force and force can never be stronger than the law," he said.

"The war will last for a long time"

Similarly, Germany's Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck had earlier deemed the partial military mobilization as a "bad and wrong step."

"With the partial mobilization (Russia) is further escalating this war of aggression that violates international law," Habeck tweeted.

Robert Habeck, the German Vice-Chancelor has called the mobilisation order "another bad and wrong step from Russia"https://t.co/HbE9oOscwu pic.twitter.com/DUiE6gJmuE

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) September 21, 2022

"A bad and wrong step, which we strongly condemn... We continue to fully support Ukraine," he added.

Scholz's Deputy Spokesperson Wolfgang Buechner also told reporters that the Chancellor believes the move signals that Russia's campaign in Ukraine "is not going successfully."

Buechner claimed that Russia had to pull its troops back from Kiev early in the war and also did not achieve the successes it hoped for in the east.

According to Scholz's deputy spokesperson, Ukraine had been "very effective in defending its integrity and sovereignty not least because of the massive... support from countries of the world, especially Germany."

On his part, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner told a press conference that the mobilization indicated that the war will last for a long time, and "we must adjust politically and economically."

Read more: Germany supplies Ukraine with weapons its army doesn't possess

NATO chief accuses Putin of "dangerous" rhetoric

In the same context, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg accused Putin of "dangerous" rhetoric. 

"This is dangerous and reckless nuclear rhetoric. It's not new as he has done it many times before. He knows very well that a nuclear war should never be fought and cannot be won, and it will have unprecedented consequences for Russia," Stoltenberg said on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. 

He claimed that NATO would "make sure that there is no misunderstanding in Moscow" about the alliance's willingness to defend itself. 

"Exactly how we will react, of course, depends on what kind of situation and what kind of weapons they may use," Stoltenberg indicated at an event hosted by Reuters news agency.

The NATO leader admitted that so far the Western military alliance had not seen any changes in Russia's nuclear posture, "but we monitor this very closely and we stay vigilant."

"The speech of President Putin demonstrates that the war is not going according to plan, he has made a big miscalculation," Stoltenberg claimed, adding that the mobilization "will escalate the conflict and that will mean more suffering, more loss of lives."