We Are Clueless

Anton Troianovski and Valerie Hopkins

Zelensky authorizes talks with Russian officials, as Putin further escalates crisis.

KYIV, Ukraine — President Vladimir V. Putin further escalated the Ukraine crisis by placing his nuclear forces on alert, threatening the West as it increasingly rallies behind Ukraine as its citizens and its military fight back against the Russian invasion.

In brief remarks aired on state television, Mr. Putin told his defense minister and his top military commander to place Russia’s nuclear forces on alert.

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The United Nations Security Council responded by voting to convene a rare special session of the General Assembly — only the 11th time it has done so since 1950.

“Just this morning, President Putin put Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert, even though he is invading a country with no nuclear weapons and is under no threat from NATO,” [Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador] said, calling it “another escalatory and unnecessary step that threatens us all.” 

It does seem "unnecessary" that Putin would nuke Ukraine, which, as you say, possesses no nukes of its own. And in reality Putin is under no threat from NATO as you say. But that is not what he says, is it? He says a Ukraine in NATO is an "existential threat" to Russia, right? And he has long viewed NATO's creeping expansion as a threat, correct? President Biden said Putin's aim is to redraw the post-Soviet map of Europe. Since that is the case isn't Russia's seizure of Chernobyl consistent with that larger aim? 

But Ambassador, President Biden, I go further. I ask you to lift your eyes to "the empire of lies". Isn't putting his nuclear forces on high alert, which you Ambassador, rightly call a step that threatens us all", consistent with the U.S. being Putin's true aim? If so a high nuclear alert footing would be intentionally escalatory and necessary, wouldn't it? Consider: Is putting his nuclear forces on high alert consistent with an intent to nuke poor, little Ukraine? I don't think so and I don't think either of you think so. Would nuclear high alert be consistent with an intent to nuke European NATO countries? Sure, but Britain and France have their own nukes. He could obliterate both countries and their nuclear retaliatory capability certainly. But why would he deliver a first punch on European NATO when doing so would automatically bring the U.S. and our nukes raining down on him in a counterpunch?  That really doesn't make sense. If, however, Putin launched a preemptive thermonuclear strike on the United States and obliterated us, it would be "unnecessary" to nuke Europe, wouldn't it?  Why not go whale hunting?