25.9 C
Accra
Monday, December 23, 2024
WorldUS expert: Putin's difficulties make use of a tactical nuclear weapon 'more...

Date:

US expert: Putin’s difficulties make use of a tactical nuclear weapon ‘more likely’

John Bolton, a former US national security adviser and ambassador to the United Nations, told Sky News the Russian president is in “greater trouble than at any point since the invasion”.

Vladimir Putin’s mounting problems in Ukraine make Russia’s use of a tactical nuclear weapon more likely, a senior US expert has told Sky News.

Tactical nuclear weapons are designed to be used on a battlefield.

John Bolton, a former US national security adviser and ambassador to the United Nations, said that the Russian president is in “greater trouble than at any point since the invasion”.

Discussing the Russian “annexation” of four occupied areas in eastern and southern Ukraine following a series of referendums described by Kyiv and the West as a “sham”, Mr Bolton said: “Obviously he (Putin) thought it would be a morale booster for Russia, (that) it would help lay the groundwork for future borders with Ukraine.

“But the fact is, at least according to Putin’s view of the world, fighting is now taking place on the ‘soil of Russia’ and the Russian military is not doing very well.”

Mr Bolton added: “So I think without question that increases Putin’s domestic difficulties in regular Russian politics and makes it somewhat more likely that the use of a tactical nuclear weapon might be possible.

“Because with ‘Russian soil’ itself affected I think Putin could see that as regime-threatening, which would be the circumstance when use of a nuclear weapon would be more likely.”

When asked what the US response might be, Mr Bolton said: “I don’t think it needs to be nuclear, depending on what the Russians actually do.

“But I do think we should say it would be Vladimir Putin signing a suicide note if he authorised even a tactical nuclear weapon.

“It’s very important that we deter the use of a nuclear weapon.

“Otherwise the lesson that would be learned in China, Iran, and North Korea, would be exactly the wrong lesson.”

[forminator_poll id="710479"]

Latest stories

U.S. Financial Analyst labels Akufo-Addo as Ghana’s worst, corrupt leader

Renowned U.S. financial analyst Scott Bolshevik has sparked a...

Lead-based paints cause lasting health damage – EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has voiced concerns over...

Upper West Region receives 35,600 condoms in effort to curb HIV spread

The Ghana AIDS Commission distributed 35,600 condoms in the...

Star Oil commemorates 25th anniversary

Star Oil, a privately-run fuel retail company, has reaffirmed...

Govt has not issued financial clearance for new expenses – Govt’s transition team

The Government Transition Team clarified that no financial clearance...

‘Your career has not come to an end when you leave a record label’ – Sefa

Ghanaian musician Sefadzi Abena Amesu, popularly known as Sefa,...

More than 12,000 Ghanaians were deported globally in last four years – GIS

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has reported that over...

Related stories

Biden grants full pardon to son Hunter amid criminal sentencing

US President Joe Biden has granted a full and...

Court issues 2-year suspended death sentence to former Bank of China Chair for bribery, others

Former Bank of China chairman Liu Liange on Tuesday received...

Ghanaians among UN peacekeepers injured in Southern Lebanon attacks

The UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon has reported...

Russia denies Trump told Putin to restrain Ukraine war efforts

The Kremlin has rejected media reports suggesting that US...

More than 100 detained as protesters defy Amsterdam’s ban on protests

Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested in Amsterdam on...

Traffic jam erupts as cyclists from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng for dumplings

A social media trend that began as a lighthearted...

Adin Ross wins $1.6m on Trump election bet after public endorsement

American streamer and social media influencer Adin Ross scored...