Putin considered using nuclear weapons, but China did not support it, Blinken believes

In an interview with the Financial Times, Blinken expressed "very serious concerns" about Putin potentially considering nuclear weapons. "Even if the probability went from 5 to 15 per cent, when it comes to nuclear weapons, nothing is more serious," he stated.

However, nuclear weapons appear to be one of the few areas where China may have played a constructive role, despite Beijing's alignment with Russia. "We have reason to believe that China engaged Russia and said, 'Don’t go there,'" Blinken revealed.

He added that a similar situation unfolded when the U.S. informed China of intelligence suggesting Putin was planning to deploy a nuclear weapon in space.

Blinken also emphasized that Putin had suffered a "strategic defeat" and noted that NATO is now larger and better resourced. Without directly addressing Trump's criticism that Europe should contribute more, he highlighted that U.S. allies had provided $150 billion, on top of $100 billion from Washington. "I don’t think anyone can complain that they haven’t done their fair share," he said.

Blinken also pushed back against claims that the Biden administration delayed sending weapons to Ukraine, explaining that various factors, such as Ukraine's ability to operate and maintain the systems, had to be considered.