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Western countries should not ignore Russia’s warnings about the possible use of nuclear weapons, according to the author of an article published in the Hong Kong edition of the South China Morning Post.
The agency “Prime” writes about this.
Senior researcher at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University and an expert at the China Forum, retired Senior Colonel Zhou Bo recalls that NATO did not attach due importance to Moscow’s demand for non-expansion of the Alliance to the east. Everyone knows how it ended, the expert notes.
Bo writes that in the case of «if Russia is not bluffing about its readiness to use nuclear weapons », then ignoring its «legitimate security interests » means condemning «the world to destruction ».
According to the military, there are currently no prospects for a ceasefire in Ukraine. Therefore, the main task is to reduce tension. Bo suggests that NATO, as a first step in this direction, unilaterally commit itself not to be the first to use nuclear weapons.
He also suggests that the leaders of Western countries put themselves in the place of President Putin. And he assumes that the Russian leader is experiencing: “You are convinced that there is an indirect war going on in Ukraine between the United States, its Western allies and Russian troops. Weapons of all sorts and colors poured into Ukraine from Europe.
Nuclear war for the whole world, according to the author of the article, is now closer than during the Cold War.
It is noted that this month in the Foreign Policy magazine Stephen Walt from Harvard University made a statement that Putin does not throw words to the wind and therefore NATO, as a first step to reduce tensions, can commit itself to refrain from the first nuclear strike on the Russian Federation under any circumstances.
Bo believes that “NATO can well afford it, since it does not threaten its deterrence capabilities in any way.” It’s hard for him to imagine why the Alliance would be the first to use nuclear weapons against a single enemy.
The military also notes that the Pentagon states that the United States “will consider the possibility of using nuclear weapons only in emergency circumstances” – to protect the vital interests of the States and their allies and partners. This, according to Bo, is already close to the policy of “not using the first”.
And the next step is for the North Atlantic Alliance to commit itself to stopping further expansion in exchange for Russia’s refusal to be the first to launch a nuclear strike.
Surely, the expert believes, the Kremlin will consider such a proposal worthy of attention, since it mainly cares about the non-expansion of the bloc to the east.
After Finland and Sweden join NATO, the military association, already “gigantic”, will grow to 32 members, Bo notes.
He emphasizes that “all military alliances are like leeches and live off threats.” But if NATO has to constantly grow and expand “because of the threat from a single country”, this, according to a military expert, “speaks more about the incompetence of the Alliance” than about its strength.