Russian military leaders discussed using nukes in Ukraine, a dire possibility that alarmed the US, report says

• Russian leaders discussed using a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, The New York Times reported.
• The discussions have heightened concern among western officials.
• Russia has suggested it could use the weapons as it sees setbacks in its invasion of Ukraine.

Russian military leaders have discussed using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine amid a string of battlefield setbacks, The New York Times reported.

Senior US officials told the publication that the group of Russian military leaders had discussed how and when Russia might deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

The report said that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has ultimate authority over their deployment, was not part of the conversations, the Times reported.

The conversation has alarmed officials in the Biden administration, the report said, because they show how frustrated Russia's leaders are about the failures in Russia's military campaign, and that there may be substance behind Putin's recent threats to use nuclear weapons.

But US officials did tell the Times that there was no sign that nuclear weapons were being readied for use by Russia.

And National Security Council official John F. Kirby told the Times that "We continue to monitor this as best we can, and we see no indications that Russia is making preparations for such use."

It is not clear when exactly these Russian military conversations took place, but the Times reported that the US government got intelligence about them in mid-October.

Tactical nuclear weapons are designed for use on the battlefield, and even though they have a lower destructive capacity than those designed to destroy whole cities, they could still kill thousands and render parts of Ukraine uninhabitable.

According to the Times, it was unclear what specific situations might lead to a nuclear strike by Russia.

CIA Director William Burns has previously said that Putin's "potential desperation" to achieve victory in Ukraine, and the failures of the Russian military, could prompt the use of a nuclear weapon.

In recent weeks, the Ukrainian military has pushed Russia back across a swath of territory in east Ukraine.

Reports have spread of hastily mobilized Russian civilians sent into battle with little to no training or equipment in response to high battlefield casualties.

Putin has annexed territory in east Ukraine, and said Russia would attack the West with nuclear weapons if it sought to interfere.

Russian officials have baselessly claimed Ukraine is planning on using a "dirty" bomb, in what some analysts said could be a way for Russia to spread fear it was planning to launch a nuclear strike of its own.

But the report said that following recent direct talks between Gen. Mark Milley, Chariman of the Joint Chiefs; and his counterpart, Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff, temperatures have cooled, and Putin in public remarks last Thursday said Russia was not planning on using a nuclear weapon.