Vladimir Putin bodyguards
The European Union has condemned President Vladimir Putin’s intention to sanction a nuclear retaliation to a huge air attack on Russia as “reckless and irresponsible”.
“Not for the first time, Putin is playing (a) gamble with his nuclear arsenal,” said EU foreign policy spokesperson Peter Stano telling reporters on Thursday. “We of course strongly reject these threats.”
Putin declared on Wednesday a new nuclear policy that would permit the use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states backed by nuclear powers, a clear allusion to Ukraine and its Western allies.
The proposed expansion of Russia’s nuclear laws, which Putin has the authority to authorize, comes as Ukraine seeks approval from Western partners to employ long-range missiles to strike targets deep within Russia.
Kyiv claims it is vital to strike Russia’s airfields and military facilities, which it uses to conduct operations against Ukraine. The United States and other Western countries are apprehensive about allowing further escalation.
Earlier on Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the planned changes should be interpreted as a “specific signal” to the West.
Throughout the Ukraine crisis, Western powers have accused Putin of reckless nuclear escalation. The Kremlin leader has made several apparent threats on Moscow’s willingness to deploy nuclear weapons.
“This is just the continuation of Putin’s very irresponsible and unacceptable behavior,” the EU’s Stano said of the latest threat, which came as many international leaders were attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
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