White House responds after Putin issues new round of fiery anti-American comments

CHICAGO - The White House responded to a new round of wild threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin by imposing economic sanctions on more than a thousand companies and individuals.

"Putin has brandished the nuclear card. He's doing it again," said Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to President Joe Biden.

Longtime Putin watchers say Friday's speech was the most intensely anti-American tirade of his 23-years in power.

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In a rambling, 37-minute long address, Putin called the United States an agent of "Satanism" and suggested his invasion of Ukraine is part of a worldwide fight against liberal Western values, including changing definitions of gender identity.

"Do we want things that lead to degradation and extinction imposed on children? Do we want them to be taught that, instead of men and women, there are supposedly some other genders and to be offered sex change surgeries," Putin said, in a Washington Post translation.

He claimed Russia is now leading "a liberation, anti-colonial movement" across the world, adding Ukrainian counterattacks now treated as attack on Russia itself.

Sullivan said intelligence assets so far report no Russian preparations for the actual use of nuclear weapons.

"We have had the opportunity to communicate directly to Russia a range of consequences for the use of nuclear weapons and the kinds of actions the United States would take," Sullivan said.

"I've also said before that we are not going to telegraph these things publicly. And so, all I can tell you is that the Russians understand where things stand on this issue. We understand where things stand on this issue. And I will leave it at that."

There's been much speculation that the U.S. and NATO allies might respond to the use of nuclear weapons with a conventional strike against Russia's badly wounded military.