In a coordinated stance, the United States, France, and Britain conveyed to Russia a clear message: any deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine would trigger a conventional retaliatory response. This warning, reported by Financial Times based on sources in Western capitals and Moscow, underscored the Western alliance’s resolve to deter escalatory moves in the conflict.
The report notes that after the warning, Russian President Vladimir Putin refrained from mentioning tactical nuclear weapons in public discourse for an extended period. Sources close to the Kremlin suggest that Putin assessed such a move as unlikely to provide a battlefield edge and could instead transform the front lines into a harsh and unsparing environment for Russian forces, thus offering little strategic gain.
The material also recalls that in June Putin stated that the use of nuclear weapons would be permissible if Russia’s territorial integrity faced an existential threat, but that stance was subsequently deemed unnecessary under current circumstances.
Financial Times further reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping, meeting in Moscow, urged Putin to avoid the use of nuclear arms in the Ukraine crisis. Contemporary accounts indicate Xi’s concern over the course of the conflict despite Beijing’s economic and commercial alignment with Moscow, signaling careful diplomacy from Beijing on the perilous path of escalation.
According to the report, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, warned that the international confrontation among nations could intensify far beyond the Caribbean crisis era, and that past considerations of nuclear use remain a risk factor that could precipitate a global catastrophe.
Earlier coverage indicates that the United States has contemplated deploying a submarine equipped with nuclear missiles to the Asia-Pacific region, a move framed as a deterrent in response to regional security developments. This potential deployment is part of broader strategic signaling aimed at reassuring allies and deterring aggression in high-tension theaters.