Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday that Moscow can’t ignore all of NATO’s nuclear capabilities since NATO leaders have been calling for Russia’s defeat.
“In today’s conditions, when all the leading NATO countries have declared their main goal as inflicting a strategic defeat on us, so that our people suffer as they say, how can we ignore their nuclear capabilities in these conditions?” Putin said.
Putin made the comments after suspending Russia’s participation in New START, the last nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia, which limits the deployment of warheads and launchers. He said Sunday that he wants the treaty in the future to take into account the nuclear arsenals of France and Britain.
The US, Britain, and France are the only three NATO countries with nuclear weapons, although the US has nukes deployed in other countries under the alliance’s nuclear-sharing program, including Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey.
France is estimated to have about 300 nuclear warheads, and the UK has about 200. But the British announced in 2021 that they were raising the cap of warheads they can have in their arsenal from 180 to 260, a 40% increase. The move calls into question London’s commitment to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The New START limits the deployment of nuclear warheads at 1,550, more than Britain and France’s stockpiles combined. But the treaty also includes an inspection regime that Putin might want the countries to be involved in. Russian officials have also stressed that the New START could be restored if the US takes steps to de-escalate tensions.
It is a fair point, now do we get to include China and North Korea?
Then there’s Israel….
Exactly! In fact nothing is possible until the West de-nazifies. Nothing can be achieved until the barbarians are sent back to their pig sties and securely penned up.
Everyone with nukes should be included.
I agree in principle. But Israel and North Korea will not surrender their nukes even if all the other powers did so. And I am not sure Pakistan will agree to limitations until it settles its conflict with India.
But it certainly makes sense for UK and France to be included in arms control agreements between US and Russia. Until now China has said that arms control really is an issue between the US and Russia who collectively possess over 11,000 nukes while China only has about 350 and a no first strike commitment.
Nukes are here to stay. No one will give theirs up. But if we can daydream, we might as well daydream big.
Don’t forget Israel.
The greatest challenge for the nuclear powers is avoiding that fateful scenario where nukes will have to be used. History shows that our control over reality is limited, made worse at the tendency to escape into illusion when it comes to war.
https://patternofhistory.wordpress.com/
Now Blinken claims that Modi from India helped to prevent Putin from using nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
That is not plausible, it is a fact, Blinken has zero credibility and they have dug a deep hole and don’t know how to get out, if they even have enough brain wanting to get out. They are Vollidioten they should be locked up in an insane asylum.
It would be great if Prime minister Modi of India could show President Biden the light of day how to end his pig-headed refusal to negotiate with President Putin to end the slaughter in Ukraine.
First step for Biden would be “to show respect for your opponent” Simple decency and good manners, it costs nothing but a few votes in the next election, but peace could win many more votes.
“The move calls into question London’s commitment to…” Their only unquestionable commitment is to war. Wikipedia ran out of room to list all their wars. They had 2 separate pages for before 1708 and after 1708. …No, I’m not kidding!
Otherwise, they’re peaceful people with a well developed unhinged desire for nuclear war. (Sarcasm alert)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_England
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_the_United_Kingdom
the US has nukes deployed in other countries under the alliance’s nuclear-sharing program, including Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey
which means that those countries should be considered to be “nuclear powers” just like all the real “nuclear powers”
The newest fairytale from Blinken, he says the Indians helped to prevent Putin to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
They are desperate in Washington, shooting down $12.00 weather balloons with $400 000 missiles did not work out too well, they look like the idiots they really are. Then the war declaration on Germany,the leading economy in the EU, its own ally and other NATO members, even more idiotic, and the consequences are only beginning to develop. They can’t prove Seymour Hersh wrong, too bad. Their silence tells it all, now another stupid statement from the most stupid and incompetent SOS Blinken. When will it all end?
A Republican administration will not help. The baton will be passed to them. The same neocons are always around. So it goes.
True enough
They will just ignore the war we started in Ukraine so they can start another with China instead.
“But the British announced in 2021 that they were raising the cap of warheads they can have in their arsenal from 180 to 260, a 40% increase.”
Yes, those 80 extra nukes will keep the world from being a smoldering pile of ash. More money well spent. /s