Kremlin says Russia-US hotline to deflate crisis not in use

FILE PHOTO: Russian and U.S. flags are pictured in Geneva, Switzerland January 10, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

(Reuters) - A special hotline in place to deflate crises between the Kremlin and the White House is not currently being used, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, as nuclear risks rise amid the highest tensions between Russia and West in decades.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike in response to a broader range of conventional attacks, days after reports said Washington had allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike deep into Russia.