Putin's nuclear threats against Ukraine demand a NATO response
Fox News
Once a relic of the Cold War, nuclear weapons are becoming relevant once again. And while a Russian nuclear attack on Ukrain is unlikely, it is not impossible.
Two Polish Air Force Russian made Mig 29's fly above and below two Polish Air Force U.S. made F-16's fighter jets during the Air Show in Radom, Poland. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz, File) A member of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces participates in a drill (Photographer: Ethan Swope/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State of Russia and Belarus on Unity Day. (MIKHAIL METZEL/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images) Russia’s warfighting doctrine reserves the right to use tactical nuclear weapons in a conventional conflict to force the enemy to back down.
A Russian nuclear attack on Ukraine—or worse, against a NATO state—is unlikely. Doing so would break a 75-year nuclear taboo and completely alienate the rest of the world. But the chances are not zero, either. The U.S. must take the threat seriously.