Deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, “like the United States in Europe”. It is the movement announced by Vladimir Putin. The reason for this choice, explains the Kremlin leader, “is the United Kingdom’s declaration on the supply of projectiles with depleted uranium to Ukraine”. Moscow “knows how to respond to this type of ammunition,” noted the Russian president.
Putin says Russia also has “hundreds of thousands” of these bullets, even though “we haven’t used them yet”. A weapon that “does not fit into the category of mass destruction” but, when used for piercing purposes, “generates the so-called radiation dust”, effectively making it belong to the category “of the most dangerous”.
In a long interview with Russian television Rossiya 24, Putin also reveals that Moscow “will produce or modernize” 1,600 tanks. As for the meeting with Xi Jinping, whom the Russian president defines as “a very interesting interlocutor”, what emerges is a very close relationship. “Sitting by the fireplace and drinking tea, we talked slowly about everything,” says Putin, as the phone between Beijing and Kiev remains dead. Volodymyr Zelensky stresses that he has “still not received” any offer of mediation or a meeting from China, despite his “direct” messages through diplomatic channels, in which he has explicitly expressed his willingness to hold talks with Xi.
Meanwhile, eyes on the ground remain focused on Bakhmut, where, according to Kiev, the situation “has stabilized” and “more ammunition” is expected to be able to launch the counterattack. Concern about the status of the Zaporizhziia plant also remains high. The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, announces a visit next week. The aim of the IAEA chief is “to personally assess the serious nuclear safety situation at the plant and underline the urgent need to protect it”.
Faced with the growing Russian threat, the commanders of the air forces of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark agreed to create a unified Nordic air defense. The intention is to be able to operate jointly based on operational methods already known in NATO. And in an increasingly 360 degree conflict, the latest provocation comes from Dmitry Medvedev. The vice-president of the Security Council of Russia invites citizens to illegally download content from Netflix and all platforms that are no longer accessible in the country, to “cause them maximum damage, so that they go bankrupt”.
Source: IL Tempo
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
