Why did Putin alert the Nuclear Deterrence Force?

Kiev: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday ordered Russian nuclear forces to be put on “high alert”, fearing further escalation of tensions between eastern and western countries over Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Putin said he took the decision in response to “aggressive rhetoric” by major NATO member states.

This order means that Putin wants to keep Russia’s nuclear weapons ready to fire. With this decision of his, the clouds of nuclear war have started hovering in the world. As Moscow’s forces drew closer to Kiev, Ukraine’s presidential office said a delegation would meet with Russian officials. Putin cited not only statements by NATO member states to put nuclear weapons on ‘alert’ but also the sanctions imposed by Russia and Western countries against him (Putin).

In a meeting with top officials, Putin ordered Russia’s defense minister and the chief of the ‘Military General Staff’ to keep anti-nuclear forces “ready for war-related responsibility.” In a televised statement, Putin said, ‘Western countries are not only imposing economic sanctions against our country, but high officials of major NATO member states have made aggressive statements regarding our country.’
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Putin was following what he had been saying for several weeks before the attack on Ukraine. Saki said Putin was “creating threats that don’t exist to justify the attack.”

‘Russia was never threatened by NATO or Ukraine’
“The global community and the American people should see it that way,” he said. We have seen him (Putin) do this many times. Saki told ABC’s program ‘This Week’ that Russia was never threatened by NATO or Ukraine. “This is all President Putin’s method and we will stand against it…, we have the ability to defend ourselves,” Saki said.
Criticism of Putin’s decision everywhere
On Moscow’s decision, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield said in a news program, “The way President Putin is escalating this war is completely unacceptable.” “We should condemn his action in the strongest terms,” ​​he said. It is not yet clear what the practical meaning of Putin’s order is.