Russia and Belarus held joint nuclear drills earlier this week, elevating alarms as Vladimir Putin continues to situation thinly veiled threats of nuclear strikes towards Ukraine.
The workouts, during which the 2 nations practiced deploying tactical nuclear weapons, got here after Russia deployed nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles to Belarus final 12 months. In 2024, Moscow up to date its nuclear doctrine to position Belarus underneath its nuclear umbrella and to introduce extra ambiguity in regards to the circumstances that may immediate Russia to make use of nuclear weapons.
Putin has invoked nuclear rhetoric quite a few instances since he ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, however he isn’t the one chief of a nuclear-armed state flirting with using these weapons. In remarks to reporters earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned that if the delicate ceasefire with Tehran had been to break down, “you’re simply going to have to take a look at one large glow popping out of Iran.” His remark was broadly interpreted as an allusion to a nuclear assault.
