Retired Admiral James Stavridis, the former top commander of NATO allies, told MSNBC on Friday that he is not particularly concerned about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats. “I don’t see Putin deciding to use a nuclear weapon,” Stavridis said. “Bottom line: Putin is taking the first steps,” he added, “but I think the storm clouds are lifting for Vladimir Putin.” As Putin announced plans for a partial military mobilization earlier this week, taking immediate steps to begin calling up 300,000 reservists, the Russian leader threatened to use nuclear force in the event of a “threat” to Russia’s “territorial integrity.” “We will certainly use all the weapons systems at our disposal. This is not a bluff,” Putin said. His recent remarks were not the first time since he launched the war in Ukraine that Putin has issued a warning about Russia’s nuclear arsenal, which is the largest in the world. The US has repeatedly accused Putin of nuclear saber rattling. “President Putin has made blatant nuclear threats against Europe in a reckless disregard for the responsibilities of the non-proliferation regime,” President Joe Biden said of his Russian counterpart during a speech to the UN General Assembly this week. “A nuclear war cannot be won and should never be fought,” Biden said, denouncing Russia for “irresponsible nuclear threats.” Western officials and Russian observers have repeatedly warned that Putin could decide to use a nuclear weapon if he feels he has been backed into a corner in Ukraine, with some worried that the possibility of such a scenario has increased given the recent seizure of a major part of territory from Ukraine in the past. is being held by the Russian military as part of a counteroffensive. The US has for months privately warned Russia that there would be serious consequences if it used a nuclear weapon, according to a report in the Washington Post. But Stavridis said he is not losing “much sleep” over Putin’s nuclear rhetoric. The former NATO commander said the Russian leader’s use of a nuclear weapon would “create a huge movement away from him — dramatically — in world opinion.” In a Bloomberg article published this week, Stavridis said “the nuclear threat is a repeat of Putin’s outrage months ago.” “It is highly unlikely that it would use even a low-yield tactical nuclear weapon, given the obvious threat of starting World War III and also the enormous damage it would do to its efforts to hold Brazil, India, Nigeria, South Africa and other major non-aligned countries. to neutrality,” wrote Stavridis. Stavridis also said Putin’s military mobilization and nuclear threats were moves that “reek of desperation,” a point many other pundits have also echoed. Ivo Daalder, former US ambassador to NATO, expressed similar views in comments to Insider on Wednesday. Putin “admits that the ‘special military operation’ is not going well,” Dalder said, adding that “any mobilization — partial or total — seven months after the war means you’re losing, not winning.” And referring to Putin’s nuclear threat, Dalder argued that “anyone who finds it necessary to say they’re not bluffing most likely is.”
