U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has stated that there is no current indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to use nuclear weapons, even as Ukraine has escalated its military capabilities by deploying U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles for limited strikes within Russian territory.
"We'll continue to remain vigilant in this regard," said Austin during an interview with NBC News. "But at this point, no, I don't see an indication that there's an imminent intent to use nuclear weapons."
The comments come amid evolving U.S. policy on military support for Ukraine, with the Biden administration recently approving the use of long-range missiles and anti-personnel mines, a major policy shift.
The move prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to sign a decree broadening the scope for when Moscow would consider using nuclear weapons, a measure he claims "was "necessary to bring our principles in line with the current situation."
Austin, however, expressed that while the U.S. has been aware for weeks of Moscow's policy changes, there has been no observable shift in Russia's strategic nuclear force posture.
Austin also said in the interview that the U.S. military believes that there are around 10,000 North Korean troops in Russia's Kursk area, but it hasn't seen North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian troops yet:
"We believe that those troops will be embedded in Russian formations, and I have every reason to believe that we will see them in combat in the not-too-distant future. I think the intent's there, but we've not seen that yet."
The long-standing war, which began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has reached over 1,000 days. Austin remarked that Putin has failed to achieve strategic objectives, highlighting that Ukraine's resistance demonstrates the ability of smaller nations to defend sovereignty when adequately supported.
Despite this, about a fifth of Ukraine remains under Russian control, with Moscow leveraging its superior resources in a grinding war of attrition. Austin noted that this strategy has strained Russia's forces while testing the endurance of Western allies backing Kyiv.
As Ukraine seeks to strengthen its defensive position, the U.S. has also approved the use of anti-personnel mines described as "non-persistent," and designed to deactivate after a set period to reduce risks to civilians. These weapons are intended to counter Russia's evolving tactics, which now favor infantry-led operations to pave the way for mechanized units.
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