I have already described the war in Ukraine as “mad”. I used the term in its normal sense (insane) because the Kiev regime was fighting for the Independence and Democracy which only Putin – together with neutrality – wanted; while NATO would remove Ukraine’s independence and EU entry would remove its democracy and constitution. But now it is time to use the term in its military context – Mutually Assured Destruction – as the dangerous rhetoric of nuclear threats gets out of control.
This time last year – before the Russian entry into Ukraine – NATO practised the launch of nuclear weapons in Europe. This October air forces from across NATO exercised “nuclear deterrence” capabilities involving 14 countries and 60 aircraft. These annual exercises, NATO’s 20 year expansion Eastwards and political attacks on Ukraine plus Ukraine’s 8 year war against Russians in Eastern Ukraine and expressed wish to obtain nuclear weapons (on February 19, 2022, Ukraine President Zelensky announced that Ukraine would seek to acquire nuclear weapons,) explain the extreme nervousness of Russia which prompted its entry into Ukraine.
You will note on the bomb illustration heading this post that 50 of these bombs were destined for Russia’s neighbour Turkey. (Ironically Turkey despite being a NATO member has now moved much closer to Russia) Even more grounds for Russia’s response (including warnings of the use of all weapons at its disposal to defend its territory and security interests) were the insistence by the short lived British Prime Minister Liz Truss that she was “ready to use” nuclear weapons https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/liz-truss-nuclear-button-ready-b2151614.html
and a change in the Biden Mad House’s policy on FIRST USE of nuclear weapons.
In his 2020 presidential campaign Biden had pledged to declare that the US nuclear arsenal should be used only to deter or retaliate against a nuclear attack. But the Biden administration reviewed its nuclear policy and concluded that “No First Use” and “Sole Purpose” policies “would result in an unacceptable level of risk in light of the range of non-nuclear capabilities being developed and fielded by competitors that could inflict strategic-level damage”.
By taking the position that an (undefined) threat to security could prompt their first use of nuclear weapons the USA is creating an atmosphere of fear in its enemies to the extent that a first strike nuclear attack on the USA would be more likely. Enemies would be tempted to “get their retaliation in first”.
All this from a State which is the only one on earth ever to drop two atomic bombs (on Japan – a non nuclear state – at the end of the Second World War)
By contrast Russia has never specifically threatened the use of nuclear weapons and on November 2nd the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation asserted the
“tenet that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” and “we fully reaffirm our commitment to the joint statement of the leaders of the five nuclear weapon states on preventing nuclear war and avoiding arms races of January 3, 2022. We are strongly convinced that in the current complicated and turbulent situation, caused by irresponsible and impudent actions aimed at undermining our national security, the most immediate task is to avoid any military clash of nuclear powers.”
So when the USA sends its troops to Ukraine to “train” or “observe” or “technically advise” they are a few short steps away from the open encounter of two nuclear powers.
No wonder that saner minds in the American administration are keeping contact with Russia. The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had held confidential discussions with his Russian counterpart, Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev, and senior Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, over the past several months, discussing ways to guard against the risk of nuclear escalation in the war in Ukraine.
And no wonder the loose cannon and war hawk Zelensky was reported by the Washington Post to have been urged by US officials to drop his public refusal to discuss an end to the war while President Vladimir Putin remained in power. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-63551133
The nuclear rhetoric has gone on dangerously long. It must cease and the real underlying causes of the Ukraine conflict must be addressed. They are clear to all those who know what has happened in Europe, Russia and Ukraine over the last 30 years. It is tragic that they do not include the leaders of the western “democracies” – even as their voters, lacking food and power, take to the streets.
