REPORTER: Because of this announcement and the Germany announcement, given their history. So, is it possible that they see this as a provocation to escalate? I heard one of my colleagues ask about tactical nukes. Could this give them a pretext to use those either on the battlefield or against the Baltics and Poland or elsewhere?
KIRBY: Propgandists in the Russian media can say what they will, the president put it very plainly today that these tanks pose no offensive threat to Russia. They do, as I told Phil, pose a threat to Russian soldiers and units that are in Ukraine.
They’re very powerful, very capable. And not just the Abrams, but the [German] Leopards that are coming soon too. But they don’t pose a threat to the Russian homeland. They are designed to help the Ukrainians in what we believe is going to be a need for combined arms operations in the coming months.
REPORTER: The nuke threat, specifically, is that worsening?
KIRBY: I would just tell you, we don’t have any indication that Mr. Putin has any intention to use weapons of mass destruction, let alone nuclear weapons, tactical or otherwise, and we monitor as best we can. And we believe that our strategic deterrent posture is appropriate. We see no indication that is in the offing.
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