UKRAINSKA PRAVDA | Published January 5, 2025
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that Russia had seriously considered using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, but China dissuaded it from doing so.
Source: Blinken’s comments to the Financial Times
Details: Blinken said the US was “very concerned” that Putin appeared to have at least contemplated the nuclear option.
Quote from Blinken: “Even if the probability went from 5 to 15 per cent, when it comes to nuclear weapons, nothing is more serious…
…We have reason to believe that China engaged Russia and said: ‘Don’t go there’.”
Details: Blinken suggested a similar dynamic might have occurred when the US informed China about Russia’s plans to launch a nuclear weapon into space.
He emphasised that Putin has faced a strategic defeat, with NATO now larger and better resourced than ever.
Blinken also dismissed claims that the Biden administration had delayed providing weapons to Ukraine, explaining that it needed to consider factors such as Ukraine’s ability to operate and maintain the systems.
Background: US intelligence believes that Washington’s decision to allow Ukraine to launch US-made weapons deep into Russia has not increased the risk of a nuclear attack by Russia.
READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.pravda.com
RELATED: China may have stopped Putin from using nuclear weapons, Blinken says
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv, on Sept. 11, 2024. (Mark Schiefelbein/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
THE KYIV INDEPENDENT | Published January 5, 2025
China may have talked Russian President Vladimir Putin out of deploying nuclear weapons amid Russia’s war against Ukraine, outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview with the Financial Times (FT) on Jan. 3.
Beijing has emerged as Moscow’s leading ally and financial backer since the full-scale invasion of February 2022, though China has denied accusations of supporting Russia’s military efforts.
China may have exerted its influence over Russia to intervene when Putin was considering nuclear escalation, Blinken told the FT.
“We have reason to believe that China engaged Russia and said: ‘Don’t go there,'” he said.
Blinken said the U.S. had been “very concerned” because Putin appeared to be considering nuclear weapons.
“Even if the probability went from 5 to 15%, when it comes to nuclear weapons, nothing is more serious,” he said.
Blinken also claimed that China may have intervened in a similar manner after the U.S. warned Beijing that Putin was planning to launch a nuclear weapon into space.
Fear of escalating hostilities with nuclear-armed Russia has been a driving factor behind the current U.S. administration’s policy toward Ukraine. Under President Joe Biden, the White House delayed deliveries of certain weapons and withheld permission for Kyiv to launch deep strikes within Russian territory, citing Putin’s “red lines.”
Putin began a new round of nuclear saber-rattling in late November after Biden allowed Ukraine to attack some Russian targets with U.S.-made long-range weapons. Putin revised Russia’s nuclear doctrine, expanding the criteria under which the country can launch a nuclear strike.
READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.kyivindependent.com
Be the first to comment