Ukraine foreign minister calls Russian nuclear 'saber-rattling'

Ukraine foreign minister calls Russian nuclear 'saber-rattling'
by AFP Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Nov 19, 2024

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga urged Ukraine's Western allies Tuesday to remain "clear-eyed and not give into fear" in the face what he termed Russian "saber-rattling" over its nuclear weapons.

Speaking at the US Capitol at a congressional hearing, Sybiga said: "Right now, we see new attempts by the Kremlin to use nuclear saber-rattling to scare the West.

"Their updated nuclear public rhetoric on the use of nuclear weapons is nothing more than blackmail," he added. "They have used it many times before when strong decisions were made. We must remain cold-headed, clear-eyed, and not give in to fear."

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Tuesday broadening the scope of when Moscow can use nuclear weapons, in what was seen as a clear message to the West and Ukraine.

The new doctrine outlines that Russia would consider using nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear state, which would include Ukraine, if they are supported by nuclear powers.

The move came on the same day that Ukraine said it had fired US-supplied long-range missiles into Russian territory for the first time.

Putin had previously warned that authorizing the missiles to be used inside Russia would amount to the US-led NATO alliance being at war with his country.

A spokesman for the US Defense Department, Sabrina Singh, criticized "the same irresponsible (nuclear) rhetoric that we've seen before and that we've seen, frankly, for the past two years."

"It's something that we're going to continue to monitor. But we don't have any indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon within Ukraine," she told reporters in Washington on Tuesday.

She said Russia had escalated the conflict "by bringing in another foreign country into the battlefield," referring to what she said were 11,000 North Korean soldiers who had joined Moscow's war effort.

The European Union and Britain both condemned Russia's nuclear policy change and rhetoric from Russian political leaders.

US slams Russia's 'irresponsible rhetoric' on nukes
Rio De Janeiro (AFP) Nov 19, 2024 - The White House condemned Russia's "irresponsible rhetoric" Tuesday after Vladimir Putin eased Moscow's rules for nuclear strikes, but said it saw no need to change its own force posture.

Putin's move came after Washington allowed Ukraine to fire long-range US-made missiles into Russian territory, with Moscow saying Kyiv had used the weapons for the first time on Tuesday.

"This is more of the same irresponsible rhetoric from Russia, which we have seen for the past two years," a spokesperson for the US National Security Council told AFP.

The spokesperson said that "we were not surprised by Russia's announcement that it would update its nuclear doctrine" and that Moscow had been "signaling its intent" to do so for several weeks.

"Observing no changes to Russia's nuclear posture, we have not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture or doctrine in response to Russia's statements today."

US officials have previously confirmed that outgoing President Joe Biden, who is attending a G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, gave the green light for ally Kyiv to use long-range missiles against Russia.

While the White House has not done so on the record, it has hinted that the move is a response to Russia's use of North Korean soldiers against Ukraine.

The deployment of Pyongyang's troops is a "significant escalation... and we warned that the United States would respond. I won't get into the details of that response today," the National Security Council spokesperson said.

The US reaction came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused G20 leaders of failing to act after Putin's nuclear rule change.

Ukraine is anxiously watching to see whether US President-elect Donald Trump will switch off American military aid and try to push through a peace deal that could force Kyiv to cede territory to Moscow.

UK's Starmer denounces 'irresponsible rhetoric' from Russia on nuclear arms
Rio De Janeiro (AFP) Nov 19, 2024 - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday criticised "irresponsible rhetoric coming from Russia" after US President Joe Biden gave Ukraine permission to use Western-supplied long-range missiles against targets in Russia.

Starmer said Moscow's loosening of rules on nuclear weapons use as a "necessary response" to the move "is not going to deter our support for Ukraine", adding: "We need to ensure that Ukraine has what is needed for as long as it's needed to win this war against (Vladimir) Putin."

Russia's nuclear threats 'irresponsible': EU's Borrell
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Nov 19, 2024 - EU top diplomat Josep Borrell accused Russia on Tuesday of issuing "completely irresponsible" nuclear threats, after President Vladimir Putin broadened the scope for Moscow's use of atomic weapons.

"It is not the first time that Putin plays the nuclear gamble," the outgoing foreign policy chief told reporters following defence minister talks in Brussels on the 1,000th day of the conflict.

"Russia has subscribed to the principle that a nuclear war cannot be won, and so must never be fought," he said, warning that "any call for nuclear warfare is an irresponsibility."

The EU talks -- dominated by the need to ramp up support for Ukraine's fight -- came as Kyiv confirmed it had fired US-supplied long-range missiles into Russian territory, in what Russia said marked "a new phase" in the war.

Borrell had pressed member states ahead of time to align with Washington in allowing Ukraine to strike inside Russia using donated missiles -- something France appears to be considering.

Addressing reporters afterwards, Borrell gave no indication of a shift on the sensitive issue.

But he said EU states had agreed "by an overwhelming majority" that "the fate of Ukraine will determine the destiny of the European Union."

"If Putin could be successful in Ukraine, we will pay a very high bill, much more expensive than any kind of military support that we could provide today," he said.

Borrell said a "big majority" of EU member states had shown "their determination to continue supporting Ukraine" -- with Donald Trump's imminent White House return throwing US support for Kyiv into question.

"Certainly we are in a different scenario with a different president in the White House, which seems to have ideas about how to end the war," he said.

Ministers were joined by NATO chief Mark Rutte who warned that Putin must not be allowed to "get his way" in Ukraine and reiterated his call for Europe to "ramp up the defence industry."

More than two and a half years after Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, now 23 of the 32 NATO members reach the target of spending two percent of gross domestic product on defence -- up from just three a decade ago.

But the growing consensus is that Europe will have to do more to make sure it can stand on its own.

Borrell said it was made clear by Rutte that given "the challenges we are facing, this landmark, this mythic figure of two-percent will not be enough, and we need to take more action."

"Europeans have to do more and quicker in order to increase their defence capacity, not just to support Ukraine, but for our own security," said the EU top diplomat, who hands over next month to his designated successor Kaja Kallas.