General Ben Hodges, the former commander of US forces in Europe, said it was unlikely that Vladimir Putin would decide to use tactical nuclear weapons.

The statement came amid speculation that Moscow might call for such an option, given that the Russian military appears to be struggling in the face of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

One came from another retired US general, Barry R. McCaffrey, who wrote on Twitter that “there is clearly a danger of a tactical nuclear strike by a desperate Putin.”

“It’s hard to imagine what the goal will be. A city in Ukraine? A military unit from Ukraine?” McCaffrey added.

Hardly, says another American general

Ben Hodges responded that “there is a risk that the Kremlin will use a nuclear bomb in this situation, but I think it is unlikely.”

“There’s no real advantage to this on the battlefield, it would be impossible for the US to sit back/not respond, and I don’t think Putin or his closest advisers are suicidal,” the former warlord explained to US ground troops in Europe. .

The US has many options that the Kremlin cannot resist

Ben Hodges also responded to another Twitter user who asked him for more details about a possible US response to the use of tactical nuclear weapons by Vladimir Putin’s regime.

“The US would respond to Russia’s use of a nuclear bomb because China, North Korea and Iran are watching us. If we don’t respond, they will be bolder. The answer will not necessarily be nuclear. There are many options in/around Ukraine that the Kremlin could not resist. They know it. So I think it’s unlikely,” Hodges explained.