The Biden administration has been privately warning Russia against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine for months, report says

According to the Washington Post, the Biden administration has warned Russia against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

The officials speaking on the condition of anonymity said that the warnings were kept vague so that the Kremlin didn't worry about how the US would respond.

The State Department was involved in the delivery of the private messages, but officials wouldn't say what they were.

In a rare address to the nation last week, Russian President Putin threatened to use nuclear weapons.

The Washington Post reported that it was not known if the Biden administration sent any new private messages after the threat.

The report said that the private warnings echo the public statements made by President Joe Biden and his aides.

The international community is not sure how to take Putin's nuclear threats.

John Kirby is a top White House official.

Kirby told the outlet that it was a dangerous precedent for Mr. Putin to use this type of rhetoric in the context of a war.

We must take these threats seriously. I can tell you that we don't see any indication that we need to change our deterrent posture at this time.

In an interview with MSNBC, the former NATO commander said that he was not worried about Putin using nuclear weapons.

Russia expert Simon Miles told Insider that Putin's threats are indicative of how limited his military options are in Ukraine.

According to The Washington Post, Biden administration officials have noted that Russia has made threats about nuclear weapons since it began its invasion of Ukraine in February and that there are no indications Russia is moving nuclear weapons in preparation for an attack.

The recent threat by Putin is more serious than before.

According to the paper, the executive director of the Arms Control Association said that the Russian president's comments suggest that Russia is considering using a nuclear weapon.

"This is one of the most severe episodes in which nuclear weapons might be used in decades, and everyone needs to be aware of that," he said.

The consequences of a limited nuclear war would be disastrous.