Putin says Russia will not be first to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that nuclear tensions were rising, but he insisted that Moscow would not be the first to deploy them in the Ukraine conflict.

Putin warned that the conflict could be lengthy, as Russian forces missed most of their key military goals since February, raising fears that Russia could resort to its nuclear arsenal to achieve a breakthrough.

Putin said at a meeting of his human rights council that they have not gone crazy, but they are aware of what nuclear weapons are.

We are not going to brandish them like razors while running around the world. He acknowledged the growing tensions, saying that such a threat is rising. He added that Russia would use a nuclear weapon only in response to an enemy strike.

Putin said when we're struck, we strike back, stressing that Moscow's strategy was based on a so-called retaliatory strike policy.

If we aren't the first to use it under any circumstances, then we will not be the second to use it, because the possibilities of using them in the event of a nuclear strike against our territory are very limited, he said.

His comments resulted in an immediate rebuke from the US.

Ned Price, a US State Department spokesman, said that any loose talk of nuclear weapons is absolutely irresponsible.

He said it was dangerous and goes against the spirit of the statement that has been at the heart of the nuclear non-proliferation regime since the Cold War.