Nuclear Decision

Abigail Schrauth

The Russian and Ukrainian war is nothing new to the United States of America, it’s been in motion since 20, Feb. of 2014. The question of if Russia will resort to using its nuclear weapons, still remains. Due to the fact that Ukraine is not a part of NATO(The North Atlantic Treaty Organization), the United States chooses not to interfere with its conflicts. Beginning of the invasion, the United States has also provided offensive weaponry and intelligence with the Ukrainian government. Since then, no troops have or will be sent to Ukraine, the U.S. has been reported to have sent nearly $1 billion in military aid between 2021 and 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued renewed threats that he could resort to weapons of mass destruction as he escalated the conflict last week by calling up military reservists and moving to annex occupied areas that are staging votes to join Russia.With his mobilization effort facing domestic backlash and Kyiv’s forces pressing to make new gains after their stunning counteroffensive, two top U.S. officials said Sunday that Washington has made it clear to Moscow just how stark a response it would face in the event of a nuclear attack.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the consequences “would be catastrophic if Russia went down the dark road of nuclear weapons use.” Pressed by host Chuck Todd about what those countermeasures would be, Sullivan would only say, “In private channels we have spelled out in greater detail exactly what that would mean.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken used similar language in an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes.” “It’s very important that Moscow hear from us and know from us that the consequences would be horrific, and we’ve made that very clear,” he said, adding that the U.S. response would be catastrophic without elaborating.

It is still yet to be confirmed whether or not Putin will decide to take this violent route. Until that time has arrived, Ukraine and the United States remain blind to the Russian President’s ultimate decision.