The admiral Rob Baueroutgoing head of NATO’s Military Committee, admitted on Sunday that, If Russia did not have nuclear weapons in its possession, the Atlantic Alliance would have deployed its forces in Ukraine to help repel the invading troops.
“I am absolutely sure that if the Russians did not have nuclear weapons, we would have been in Ukraine long ago to expel them. We certainly would have done it,” he said during an appearance at the IISS Defense Summit in Prague, Czech Republic, held Nov. 8-10.
In this sense, he recalled that “The Taliban do not have nuclear weapons, the Russians do”which would explain NATO’s different action in the wars in Ukraine and Afghanistan. And it is that Russia has the largest nuclear arsenal in the worldfollowed closely by that of the United States. Between both countries, they control around 90% of nuclear weapons.
In this way, although he did not rule out the NATO involvement in a war against Russiaacknowledged that “it would run a risk as alliance“. “Afterwards, everyone will say that the red line was not the red line. Why don’t we hand over those weapons sooner? But If we look at the problem in the future, when the question arises and we don’t necessarily understand the consequences, then it will be much more difficult.“he reflected.
Russia’s new nuclear doctrine
The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, announced in September the of the country to “correct the current approaches” with an update and expansion of the type and origin of threats to which Moscow will respond with nuclear weapons.
This new doctrine was expanded with the inclusion of “States and military alliances” and the updating of the “list of military threats” to which “nuclear containment actions” will be applied. “We reserve the right to use nuclear weapons in case of aggression against Russia and Belarus as a member of the State Union”assured the Russian president.
Putin stressed that the new criteria went beyond nuclear threats against Moscow, since it would be justified a nuclear response “even if the enemy, using conventional weapons, creates a critical threat” to Russian sovereignty. Likewise, it established that The attack of a “non-nuclear State” supported by another that is nuclear would also be considered a “joint attack on Russia”.
