"We do not engage in irresponsible rhetoric on nuclear weapons” – US Ambassador to Russia

John Sullivan made these comments in an interview with CNN.

"US-Russia relations were bad when I arrived here in January 2020 and since then they have only worsened, gone down", he said.

Regarding the Russian war in Ukraine, Sullivan suggested that one person has to end the violent conflict - Russian President Vladimir Putin. "This war began with the decision of President Putin; this war will end with the decision of the President", he said, adding that the United States "will do everything possible to convince the world and Putin that this decision is a strategic defeat for him and his government".

The US ambassador said that the rhetoric that Russia would potentially resort to nuclear weapons had recently escalated "in a highly irresponsible way", but said it was "not new". He recalled that in past contacts with the Russian government on issues related to Ukraine, the discussion began as usual, and then "spun" to warnings of a nuclear standoff if the US and NATO continue to support Ukraine.

"We don't engage in irresponsible rhetoric on nuclear weapons", Sullivan said.