CIA chief says PM Modi’s concern on nuclear war has had an impact on Russia

Burns said that China’s President Xi Jinping and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising concern over the possibility of a nuke war probably initiated by Vladimir Putin in Russia has also impacted the latter. 

“I think it has also been very useful that Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi in India have also raised their concerns about the use of nuclear weapons as well. I think that’s also having an impact on the Russians,” Burns said during an interview with the PBS.

CIA’s Burns assured that he has no evidence of Russia starting a nuclear war. He further claimed that Putin’s warning of a nuclear war is only meant to intimidate.

Putin has earlier said that the war with the east European country Russia would take sometime and posed increasing threat of nuclear war.

Recently, PM Modi held a telephonic conversation with Russia’s Putin. During the conversation, “PM Modi briefed President Putin on India’s ongoing Presidency of G-20, highlighting its key priorities. He also looked forward to both countries working together during India’s Chairship of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. They agreed to remain in regular touch with each other,” according to a statement from PMO.

Putin’s take on Nuclear war

Putin, while speaking at a meeting of Russia’s Human Rights Council at the Kremlin said that Moscow will fight by “all available means at their disposal”. He called it a special military operation.

“With regard to the protracted nature of the special military operation and its results, of course, it’s going to take a while, perhaps,” he said, according to a report in CNN.

According to the same report, Putin without categorically ruling out the first use of nuclear weapons said he viewed the Russian nuclear arsenal as a deterrent rather than a provocation.

Putin said that Russia has a strategy, and they strike in response. He said the country considers the use of nuclear weapons for defense, they call it a retaliatory strike. “That is, when we are struck, we strike in response,” he said.

According to CNN, The Russian leader said that the United States’ nuclear weapons were located in large numbers on European soil, while Russia had not transferred its nuclear weapons to other territories and is not planning to do so, but “will protect its allies with all the means at its disposal, if necessary”.

(With agency inputs)