US senators: use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine will be an attack on NATO
The US Senate has prepared a draft resolution that proposes to consider any use by Russia or Belarus of a nuclear explosive device on the territory of Ukraine as an attack on NATO, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told a joint news conference. with the co-sponsor of the resolution – Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal on the evening of Thursday, June 22nd.
“Today we put forward a resolution that if Russia or Belarus detonate a nuclear device on the territory of Ukraine to prevent a counter-offensive or try to suppress the will of the Ukrainian people, such an attack shall be considered an attack on NATO,” Graham he said.
According to him, Russia must take into account that the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine will cause “a massive response from NATO and will be at war with NATO”. On her Twitter microblog, Lindsey Graham explained that since the use of tactical nuclear weapons or the destruction of a nuclear facility would lead to radioactive contamination, including NATO territory, the North Atlantic Alliance would have to invoke Article 5 on collective security .
The reality of the threat of the use of nuclear weapons
During the press conference, Graham recalled that US President Joe Biden had recently called the threat of Russia’s use of nuclear weapons real. This threat is the biggest since the Caribbean crisis, and the best way to prevent such a scenario is to clearly explain to the Russians the consequences of such actions, the senator emphasized.
In turn, Richard Blumenthal expressed the opinion that as the counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine begins to bring more and more success, Putin will be tempted to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine or blow up the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
The resolution prepared by the senators is merely consultative and, if approved, the White House will not be obliged to implement it.
The reaction of the Russian ambassador to the United States
The Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, criticized the initiative of two US senators. “Speculations about Russia’s possible use of tactical nuclear weapons are absurd. Provocative and short-sighted statements by US lawmakers only contribute to escalating tensions and increase the risk of the situation slipping into an even more dangerous line,” Antonov said.
He called the resolution another “crazy initiative” by US “Russophobic senators”. Antonov also stressed that Russia has targeted Belarus with nuclear weapons for absolutely legal reasons – just as the United States “deployed nuclear bombs on the territories of European allies for decades”.
Source: DW
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