US contingency plans in place in case Russia uses its most powerful weapons

 

The US has created contingency plans in case Russia uses chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

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After Russia did not rule out the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, the US created contingency plans in case Moscow uses its more powerful weapons amid the war.

The team of national security officials, known as the Tiger Team, is also considering responses if Russia attacks convoys in NATO territories bringing weapons and aid to Ukraine, according to officials involved in the process, the New York Times reported.

These contingencies will be central in an upcoming NATO meeting between the leaders of all member states on March 24, the report added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said Russia would only use nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict if it were facing an 'existential threat'.

Peskov's comment came when he was asked whether he was "convinced or confident" that President Vladimir Putin would not use the nuclear option in the Ukrainian context.

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Russia maintains the world's largest stockpile of nuclear warheads and has earned minimal support around the world for its attack on its ex-Soviet neighbour.

Western defence officials said following Putin's February announcement that they had not seen any significant sign of mobilization of Russia's nuclear forces -- its strategic bombers, missiles and submarines.

But Moscow has also warned that if the United States and NATO allies supplied Ukraine with fighter jets, it could escalate and expand the war, potentially putting Russia in direct confrontation with nuclear-armed rivals in the West.