US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in an interview with the ABC TV channel, called the recent Russian attacks on Ukraine another sign of the “desperation” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Blinken also said Putin’s latest moves were “pretty close to all-out war.” When asked whether the Russian president is acting rationally, he said that “Putin’s goals are irrational,” according to CNN.

“We made it very clear to President Putin directly and privately about the serious consequences that could follow any use of nuclear weapons,” Blinken said when asked about the potential use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

“At this point, we see no reason to change our own nuclear posture,” he added.

Blinken also criticized the recent decision by Saudi Arabia and OPEC+ to cut oil production, saying it “helps line Putin’s pockets.”

“There was no reason to make this decision when they made it,” he said, acknowledging: “We have a lot of interests with Saudi Arabia.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently in an “incredibly difficult situation,” Joe Biden said Wednesday, answering reporters’ questions about imposing martial law on Ukrainian territories recently annexed by Moscow.

“It would seem that the only tool they have left is to go after Ukrainian citizens” to “intimidate” them into surrendering, but that is not what they will do, he said from the White House, according to AFP.

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