NATO chief slams Putin’s ‘reckless nuclear rhetoric’, says ‘it is dangerous’

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg accused President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday of “dangerous” rhetoric after Russia’s leader hinted Moscow could use nuclear weapons over the war in Ukraine.

“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.

Stoltenberg said 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,” he said at an event hosted by Reuters news agency.