Kirby Rejects Reporter’s ‘Supposition’ Pentagon Isn’t Taking Putin’s Nuclear Threats Seriously, But Warns ‘Escalating’ Doesn’t Help Ukraine

A reporter asked Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on Wednesday whether there’s “a danger” in the United States not taking Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s nuclear threats “seriously,” prompting Kirby to question the presumption in the question.

“Do you see a danger in not taking Putin’s threats of nuclear war seriously,” asked NewsNation Washington correspondent Kellie Meyer during the Pentagon press briefing.

“Do I see a danger in not taking the threats seriously,” said Kirby, sounding mystified. “The question presupposes that we aren’t taking the threat seriously.”

“And I think I might challenge that supposition there,” he said. “You heard the secretary got asked this question yesterday and said very clearly that the rhetoric we keep hearing from Russian leaders and just recently with [Russian Foreign] Minister [Sergey] Lavrov raising the specter of nuclear confrontation is irresponsible.”

“It’s certainly not what you would expect from a modern nuclear power nor should anybody expect from a modern nuclear power,” said Kirby. “Nobody wants to see this war [in Ukraine] escalate any more than it already has. Certainly, nobody wants to see or nobody should want to see it escalate into the nuclear realm and there’s no reason that it should.”

Kirby said Putin “can do the right thing right now by ending the war” and negotiating with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Kirby said “raising the specter” of a nuclear conflict would be detrimental, seemingly suggesting that a more aggressive response on the part of the United States might itself be an escalation.

“Short of that, raising the specter of nuclear confrontation does nothing to the peace and security of the region, much less the people of Ukraine,” he continued. “And we can all understand that escalating this conflict and making it between the United States and Russia is not only not good for our national security or Russian national security, it sure as heck ain’t good for the people of Ukraine.”

Lavrov’s rhetoric raising that specter of nuclear war was reported on Monday.

“This is our key position on which we base everything. The risks now are considerable,” he said on Russian state TV. “I would not want to elevate those risks artificially. Many would like that. The danger is serious, real. And we must not underestimate it.”

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called the threat “very dangerous and unhelpful.”

Watch above, via CSPAN.