Levelling up the invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has introduced his plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, a close ally and neighbour of Russia. Putin has repeatedly hinted at a return to Cold War brinksmanship, threatening the possible use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
During an interview on Russian tv, Putin said that if Kyiv acquired depleted uranium ammunition from the West, he would respond with related ammunition. This statement came after a suggestion from the British government that it could supply Ukraine with the munitions. Putin sneered that Russia had vast portions of weaponry.
“Russia in fact has what it needs to reply. Without exaggeration, we now have hundreds of hundreds of such shells. We have not used them yet.”
In response to these threats, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) lamented the uncertainty created by these obscure threats of nukes. ICAN warned final month because the invasion hit its first anniversary that, as the battle drags on, the chance of a nuclear strike only grows.
NATO condemned the action as Putin pulled out of New START, the final remaining arms management treaty between Russia and the United States, the 2 largest nuclear powers. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg known as it the top of Europe’s post-Cold War arms management structure.
The use of nuclear weapons has been a concern for the US, with officials fearing Russia may contemplate it if backed into a shedding corner on the battlefield.
Some suppose Russia will begin false narratives to justify a nuclear strike. Don’t miss out have already been circulating stories that Ukraine vehemently denies using soiled bombs. The US made uncommon direct contact with Moscow to warn them towards using nukes, especially after fabricating justifications.
President Joe Biden recently reiterated the US stance that nuclear weapons ought to only be utilized in “extreme circumstances.” But neither the US nor Russia has any official policy towards the first use of nukes.
Belarusian chief Alexander Lukashenko agreed to allow Russia to deploy the weapons, in accordance with Putin. The Russian leader defended his actions by saying deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is the same as what the US all the time does.
“There is nothing unusual here both: the United States has been doing this for many years. They have long positioned their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allies.”