The Financial Times describes how three Western countries, together with China, put pressure on Russia and prevented it from using nuclear weapons.
Last fall, the United States, Britain and France warned Russia of the consequences of using nuclear weapons, taking the issue of a nuclear attack out of Russian rhetoric for a long time, reports Max Seddon, head of the Russian bureau of the Financial Times.
Russian President Vladimir Putin first suggested the possibility of a limited nuclear attack on Ukraine in his speech on the eve of a full-scale invasion in February 2022. Later, after the illegal annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts, he vowed to use “all means necessary” to use’. at our disposal” to defend these areas. “These threats prompted the United States, Britain and France to announce retaliatory measures with conventional weapons,” Seddon writes, citing anonymous informants. According to FT sources, the Chinese leader Xi Jingping also played a role and personally warned Putin against the use of nuclear weapons, especially during his visit to Moscow in March 2023.
Experts assumed the possibility of a conventional Western response to the Russian nuclear attack on Ukraine. NATO officials talk about a “physical response” but give no details.
Finally, last fall, Vladimir Putin admitted that the use of nuclear weapons would make no “political or military sense” in the case of tactical nuclear weapons and de facto stopped mentioning the possibility of Russia using these types of weapons.
Nuclear attack still possible?
“Russia is currently referring to the issue of nuclear weapons in an attempt to stop further military support to Ukraine from the West,” Seddon said, citing Western experts. “FT” recalls that Putin ordered the deployment of nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus and took the initiative to deviate from the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which could pave the way for the resumption of nuclear testing for the first time since the collapse of the USSR.
Last week, the Russian military command informed Vladimir Putin about the training of the Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces, which involved “launching a massive nuclear strike in response to an enemy attack.”
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
