China warns Russia against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine - Blinken
Photo: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Russia considered a nuclear strike on Ukraine. China has warned Moscow against using nuclear weapons, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Financial Times.
He notes the United States was “very concerned” because Russian President Vladimir Putin was probably considering a nuclear option against Ukraine.
“Even if the probability went from 5 to 15 per cent, when it comes to nuclear weapons, nothing is more serious,” Blinken said.
The United States has reason to believe that China has reached out to Russia and said: “Don’t go there”.
Blinken added that a similar dynamic could have taken place when the US informed China that Putin was planning to place nuclear weapons in space.
He also denied suggestions that President Joe Biden's administration had been slow to provide weapons to Ukraine, saying it had to take into account a number of factors, such as the ability to operate and maintain the systems.
Putin's nuclear threats
Russia has repeatedly threatened Ukraine and Western countries with nuclear weapons. Western media and some politicians believe that Russian leader Vladimir Putin came as close as possible to using nuclear weapons against Ukraine in October 2022.
In November 2024, Putin signed Russia's new nuclear doctrine. The updated document states that the basis for a nuclear strike may be aggression against Russia and its allies by any non-nuclear state with the support of a nuclear power.
Read more about the Russian doctrine and how the world has reacted to it in RBC-Ukraine's article.
