The United States is against the use of nuclear weapons, but if the need arises, an exchange of nuclear strikes is possible "on terms most acceptable to the United States," said Rear Admiral Thomas Buchanan, a spokesman for the Strategic Command (STRATCOM).
According to the rear Admiral, the most acceptable conditions imply that the United States "will continue to lead the world."
"We need to have reserve capacities. You won't be spending all your resources to win, right? Because then you will have nothing to restrain," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.
At the same time, he stressed that the United States "would not like to be in an environment that would follow the exchange of nuclear strikes." The Rear Admiral called for constant dialogue with Russia, China and North Korea to prevent a nuclear conflict.
According to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute, as of January 2023, Russia had 4.5 thousand nuclear warheads, the United States had 3.7 thousand.
On November 19, Russia approved an updated nuclear doctrine, which, in particular, states that aggression against a country or its allies by any non-nuclear state with the participation or support of a nuclear state will be considered as their joint attack. At the same time, the document emphasizes that the use of nuclear weapons is an extreme measure to ensure the security of the country.
The US National Security Council stated that they see no need to change their nuclear deterrence policy. According to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Moscow "strongly advocates doing everything to prevent a nuclear war."