After an American threat of catastrophic consequences for the use of nuclear... Russian talk about urgent contacts and exchange of messages between the two largest nuclear powers

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia and the United States had "sporadic" contacts on issues related to nuclear weapons, after Russian President Vladimir Putin said a few days ago that he was "not deceiving" when he spoke of his willingness to use such weapons if Russia felt its territorial integrity was under threat. to threaten.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the two sides had maintained an open but limited channel of dialogue, allowing for "exchange of emergency messages" between the world's two largest nuclear powers.

Peskov told reporters that "there are channels of dialogue at the appropriate level, but they are of a very sporadic nature, and they allow at least some urgent messages to be exchanged about the position of each side."

Putin said last week that Moscow was ready to use nuclear weapons "to protect its land and people," while announcing a mobilization campaign that clearly threatened to escalate the seven-month-old conflict in Ukraine.

On Sunday, the United States warned Russia of "catastrophic consequences" if it used nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said his country would "respond decisively" if Russia used these weapons against its neighbor.

Sullivan did not elaborate, but said Washington had privately told Moscow "what that means in more detail."

Peskov declined to comment when asked what the United States had revealed to Russia about what it meant by "catastrophic consequences."

Earlier, the head of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, Leonid Slutsky, called on Washington officials to familiarize themselves with the Russian nuclear doctrine before issuing warnings to Russia, in response to Washington's warning Moscow against using nuclear weapons.

"It is not the first time that the United States has talked about the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, American specialists should study the Russian nuclear doctrine better before issuing warnings through the media," Slutsky said - according to what was quoted by the Russian RIA Novosti Agency.

According to military experts, one of the requirements of the Russian nuclear combat doctrine is to resort to escalation in order to de-escalate the opponent.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he did not think Putin was cheating when he said Moscow would be willing to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia.

The war in Ukraine caused tens of thousands of deaths, massive destruction in some cities, caused global inflation and led to the worst confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis when the United States and the Soviet Union were on the brink of nuclear conflict.