Why Russia changed its nuclear rhetoric after Trump's election – Expert explains
Photo: Russia has changed its nuclear rhetoric (Russian media)
Russia has become more cautious in its statements about using nuclear weapons after Donald Trump was elected US president because it is uncertain how he would react, said political strategist Taras Zahorodnii in a comment to RBC-Ukraine’s YouTube channel.
"After Trump's election, the Russians significantly toned down their nuclear rhetoric. Why? Because they understand two things. First, if they were certain that a nuclear strike would quickly resolve their problems without consequences, they would have already done it. But they are not sure it would work," the expert explained.
In his view, a nuclear strike would burn all bridges for Russia with the international community. China is strongly opposed to nuclear escalation, and India is also against it.
Moreover, Zahorodnii believes that Trump himself creates uncertainty for Russia.
"No one knows how Trump would react. So it’s not that simple. Trump brings a high level of unpredictability for them. That’s why they’ve even stopped talking about Oreshnik," Zahorodnii noted.
He explained that tactical nuclear weapons were developed based on World War II experience when massive armies were deployed. Back then, their use made military sense.
"For example, if an army of a million troops was concentrated in one area, you could drop a nuclear bomb and then send in tanks to finish the job. The problem is that such massive troop concentrations no longer exist. So using nukes wouldn’t achieve much," he concluded.
However, according to Zahorodnii, the consequences of using nuclear weapons could be disastrous for Russia. It would isolate them globally, and it’s unclear how other countries would respond.
The nuclear threat of Russia
US intelligence has concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use nuclear weapons in the event of a war failure.
The intelligence also concluded that Russia is likely to be working on a new satellite capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
In addition, it has recently become known that Russia has launched military exercises involving missiles with nuclear warheads. The exercises involved Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles.
