Geoana (NATO) downplays Putin's nuclear threat

Global leaders and people in office across various administrations talk with frightening ease about the possibility of nuclear conflict. NATO Deputy General Secretary Mircea Geoană qualifies Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats regarding the use of nuclear weapons as "an attempt at psychological intimidation". In an interview for El Pais, Geoana stated: "We have seen nuclear threats from Russian leaders at least since the beginning of the war two years ago. It is extremely irresponsible for a nuclear superpower like Russia, which has an obligation to show restraint. It is part of his arsenal of intimidation and psychological pressure". Asked to specify whether he interprets the Kremlin leader's statements as a bluff rather than a real threat, the Deputy Secretary General of NATO pointed out that "it is a speech that is more related to the logic of psychological intimidation than to real intentions": "No we see no imminent threat from Russia to use these weapons. But these statements are, in themselves, very dangerous, because they erode trust. Russia knows the consequences of such a step. It's his grandiloquent way of attacking the West, like when he describes the war he started in Ukraine as a war of civilizations or when he claims that the West is trying to destroy Russia, which is totally absurd." The NATO official also commented on French President Emmanuel Macron's statements regarding the sending of troops to Ukraine: "We fully respect the right of our Allies to bring new ideas to the discussion table. But we, NATO, have no intention or plan to deploy troops in Ukraine. What we are determined to do is continue to support Ukraine and avoid escalation with Russia, which we have done satisfactorily so far. This is especially important after Ukraine started negotiations for EU accession and to get closer to NATO. We cannot say when, but one day a sovereign Ukraine will be part of both NATO and the EU. This war is likely to continue for some time. Therefore, NATO will continue to ensure that we will support Ukraine and that we will avoid an escalation with Russia".

Putin claimed in his speech last week that Western rhetoric threatens a "conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and, as a consequence, the destruction of civilization" and noted that Russia's strategic nuclear forces are "in a state of full readiness" for a guaranteed use.