Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
The Israeli Walla! website: We are running out of stockpiles, our forces are exhausted, and the lives of the captives are in danger. It is time for a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Several wounded in an Israeli bombardment of a tent in al-Mawasi, south of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli media: Three wounded, three killed in an ongoing operation in the Gaza Strip.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon: Israeli artillery shelling targets the outskirts of the town of Shebaa
Al-Qassam Brigades: The targeting took place at the intersection of 'Street 5' with the western line north of Khan Younis
Al-Qassam Brigades: A NIMR armored personnel carrier carrying an Israeli soldier was targeted with an Al-Yassin missile north of Khan Younis
Israeli media: At least two soldiers killed by anti-tank missile fired at Israeli army forces in the Gaza Strip
Local Syrian sources: Mortar shells fell on more than nine villages in the Sweida countryside
Local Syrian sources: Dozens of dead and wounded have arrived at Sweida hospitals as a result of ongoing clashes at several locations in the western Sweida countryside
Local sources: Civilians, including children and women, were injured in the al-Maqous neighborhood of Sweida, in Syria, as a result of ongoing clashes

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

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 21 Sep 2022 18:01
  • 1 Shares
5 Min Read

Leaders of the West react to Putin's announcement of a partial mobilization in Russia.

  • x
  • National Security coordinator John Kirby
    National Security coordinator John Kirby

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."

Related News

EU rallies allies as Trump tariff threats push trade tensions higher

Supreme Court clears fast-track deportations to random third countries

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."

  • United States
  • Olaf Scholz
  • Russia
  • US
  • Germany
  • John Kirby
  • Vladimir Putin
  • white house
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS