JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin Rattled Nuclear Saber Ahead of Presidential Elections” – WSJ
“Raising specter of nuclear confrontation allows Russian leader to keep his population on edge and convinced of need for militarism, analysts say.”
“… Putin warned publicly … of the possibility of nuclear confrontation with the West, a saber … [Putin was] rattling with increasing frequency ahead of presidential elections this weekend. The comments — part of an interview with a Russian television … propagandist … aired on state media — are central to [Putin’s] domestic attempt to frame his war in Ukraine as a conflict with Western powers that he says want to destroy Russia. ‘We are ready to use weapons, including any weapons,’ Putin said, ‘If we are talking about the existence of the Russian state, about damaging our sovereignty and independence.’ … [Putin] tempered his rhetoric … saying that … [t]he world … wasn’t ‘rushing so head on’ in the direction of nuclear war. … [T]he consensus among many Kremlin watchers is that he is unlikely to resort to nuclear force, although he has threatened or hinted at doing so numerous times since the start of the war …. The talk of nuclear escalation comes amid heightened tensions in Europe about U.S. commitment to [Europe’s] security following recent [Trump] comments …. German officials have proposed that France and the U.K. join forces with Berlin to develop a fallback plan for nuclear deterrence for NATO ….”