War in Ukraine at 'decisive stage,' risk of 'global conflict,' Poland's Tusk says
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's comments came in the wake of Russia's attack on Dnipro a day earlier.
Nuclear weapons
White House sees no indication of Russia preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine
"We haven’t seen any indications of Russia preparing to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine. We just have not seen that," White House Press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said on Nov. 21.
North Korea's Kim accuses US of stoking potential 'thermonuclear war'
The comments came on the same day that Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country had launched its "newest missile," an IRBM called "Oreshnik," in an attack on Dnipro, eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine war latest: Ukraine reportedly strikes Russia with Storm Shadow missiles for first time
Key developments on Nov. 20: * Ukraine strikes Russia with Storm Shadows for the first time, Bloomberg reports * Biden approves delivery of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine in light of Russian gains in east * Ukrainian drones allegedly strike Russian factories, weapons arsenal * North Korean troops in Russia to be led by secrecy-shrouded
Russian officials threaten US over long-range strikes, allude to nuclear doctrine changes
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Nov. 19 that Moscow "will respond accordingly" to Washington's permission for Ukraine to strike Russian soil with U.S. weapons.
No signs Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Pentagon says
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh dismissed Russia’s rhetoric surrounding its nuclear policy as a continuation of its behavior over the past two years.
'Putin is playing with our fears' — German FM on Russia's updated nuclear doctrine
Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to intimidate the West by expanding the conditions for using nuclear weapons in Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Nov. 19.
Putin approves Russia's updated nuclear doctrine
The revised doctrine outlines scenarios that could justify a nuclear strike. It implies that this could include "aggression against the Russian Federation and its allies by a non-nuclear state with the support of a nuclear state" and large-scale non-nuclear attacks, such as those carried out with drones.
Foreign Ministry responds to rumors of Kyiv's plans to build nuclear bomb
"Ukraine is committed to the NPT (the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons); we do not possess, develop, or intend to acquire nuclear weapons," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said via X.
Opinion: Western inaction on Ukraine’s security guarantees opens door to global nuclear proliferation
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is approaching its 11th year, with three years of full-scale war. In search of security guarantees like NATO membership, Ukraine has been left in limbo due to Russian-occupied territories and Western bureaucracy. In light of Russian advances and Western indecision, Kyiv has stated that NATO
Will Ukraine develop its own nuclear weapons?
Amid the looming risk that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump may pull the plug on Washington's support for Ukraine, Kyiv has begun to flirt with the option of nuclear deterrence. The prospect of such a scenario was raised weeks earlier when President Volodymyr Zelensky in October said he had told
Zelensky used talk with Trump about nuclear weapons as leverage before crucial US election, analysts say
With Ukraine's future hanging in the balance ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election, Ukraine’s president turned up the heat, invoking the specter of nuclear weapons to nudge whoever lands in the Oval Office toward offering more conventional weaponry and robust security guarantees to Kyiv. Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukraine not developing nuclear weapons, Foreign Ministry says
"We officially refute the insinuations of unnamed sources in the Bild publication regarding Ukraine's alleged plans to develop weapons of mass destruction."
Ukraine war latest: Zelensky says he told Trump that either Ukraine will join NATO or pursue nuclear weapons
Key developments on Oct. 17: * Zelensky says he told Trump that either Ukraine will join NATO or pursue nuclear weapons * Zelensky walks back earlier comments on Ukraine's possible plan to obtain nuclear weapons * 'First step to World War' — North Korea preparing 10,000 soldiers to join Russia's war, Zelensky confirms
Zelensky walks back earlier comments on Ukraine's possible plan to obtain nuclear weapons
"We never spoke about...that we are preparing to create nuclear weapons or something like this," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelensky says he told Trump that either Ukraine will join NATO or pursue nuclear weapons
"Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons, which will serve as protection, or it must be part of some kind of alliance. Apart from NATO, we do not know of such an effective alliance," President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he had told Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
NATO holding annual nuclear drills involving 2,000 troops, 60 aircraft
The two-week drills will involve over 2,000 military personnel and 60 aircraft from eight airbases. They will take place in Belgium, the Netherlands, and in the airspace over Denmark, the U.K., and the North Sea, with 13 NATO countries sending aircraft to participate.
Recurring failures to launch Satan ICBM throw shadow on Putin's nuclear saber-rattling
Years back, Russia began the development of several new strategic weapons, as Russian President Vladimir Putin had called them, to modernize the country’s military and give it an edge against the so-called West, a conflict that was in full swing. Among them was the RS-28 Sarmat ICBM, known as
Opinion: Is Russia’s new nuclear doctrine a game of bluff or a shift in strategy?
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a seemingly significant modification of Russia’s military doctrine in a statement on Sept. 25. He revealed that the new doctrine would propose considering aggression against Russia by a non-nuclear state, “with the participation or support of a nuclear state,” as a “joint attack” on
Zelensky: Putin 'afraid' to use nuclear weapons because he 'loves his life'
President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed skepticism in an interview with Fox News over Russian President Vladimir Putin's continued nuclear threats since the full-scale war, saying that Putin "loves his life" and is, therefore, likely afraid to use nuclear weapons. "Nobody knows what's in his head," Zelensky said in the interview, which
'Attack on Belarus is World War III,' Lukashenko claims amid calls for changes to Russian nuclear doctrine
An attack on Belarus would lead to World War III, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claimed on Sept. 27, following Russian President Vladimir Putin's call to update Russia's nuclear doctrine, according to the Belarusian state-owned news agency Belta. Putin proposed a series of changes to Russia's nuclear doctrine on Sept. 25
Kremlin says recent adjustments to Russia's nuclear policy intended as a message to Western nations
The Kremlin on Sept. 26 emphasized that President Vladimir Putin’s revisions to Russia’s nuclear weapons doctrine should serve as a warning to Western nations, making clear that involvement in attacks on Russia would carry serious repercussions. A day earlier, Putin announced that Russia could respond to conventional missile
Putin suggests changes to Russia's nuclear doctrine
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a series of changes to Russia's nuclear doctrine on Sept. 25 during a Security Council meeting on nuclear deterrence, Russia's state-owned outlet Ria Novosti reported. Throughout the war, the Kremlin has repeatedly laid down red lines, which it has said could provoke a nuclear response
'Too dangerous to ignore' – Russia's malicious activity in the Baltics set to test NATO resolve
“Russian intelligence is everywhere. And its propaganda is everywhere, not only in Estonia but all over the world,” Estonian President Alar Karis told the Kyiv Independent during an interview on the sidelines of the 20th annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) Conference in Kyiv. Russia has been actively meddling in the
CIA director says he thought there was 'genuine risk' of Russia's use of nuclear weapons in 2022
"There was a moment in the fall of 2022 when I think there was a genuine risk of a potential use of tactical nuclear weapons," CIA head Bill Burns said, referring to the time around Ukrainian counteroffensives in Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts.
Is Russia's new nuclear doctrine saber-rattling or a real threat?
Seven weeks into Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a thinly veiled threat toward Ukraine and its allies during a Russian Security Council meeting on nuclear deterrence. "An aggression by a non-nuclear state with the participation of a nuclear state is proposed to be considered
US researchers identify likely launch site for Russia's new nuclear-powered missile, Reuters reports
Two U.S. researchers claim to have pinpointed the likely deployment site in Russia for the 9M730 Burevestnik, a nuclear-powered cruise missile that President Vladimir Putin has hailed as "invincible."
Russian Navy trained to strike Europe with nuclear-capable missiles, FT reports, citing secret files
The alleged plans, drawn up between 2008 and 2014, include lists of targets for missiles that can carry both conventional warheads and tactical nuclear weapons.
Russia begins 'third stage' of tactical nuclear arms drills
"As part of this phase of the drills, missile formations' personnel from the Southern and Central military districts will carry out combat training tasks, including acquiring special training ammunition for the Iskander-M tactical missile systems," Russia s Defense Ministry said.
Opinion: We can't lose sight of nuclear nonproliferation
Avril Haines, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, recently warned that “Russia’s need for support in the context of Ukraine has forced it to grant some long-sought concessions to China, North Korea, and Iran with the potential to undermine, among other things, long-held non-proliferation norms.” How much does
Poll: More and more Russians think a nuclear strike on Ukraine is justified
In polling released on July 4, 10% of respondents said they believed such an attack could "definitely" be justified, while 24% said "probably."
Media: Belarusian chief of general staff threatens to use tactical nukes 'if sovereignty threatened'
Belarus's Chief of the General Staff Pavlo Muraveiko said that the country would use tactical nuclear weapons in cases where its sovereignty or independence was threatened, Belarusian state-run news outlet Belta reported on June 30.
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