China told Putin not to use nuclear weapons, Blinken says

Russia had seriously considered using nuclear weapons in Ukraine but was dissuaded from doing so by China, the US Secretary of State said. Antonio Blinken has said.

Amid repeated nuclear threats from Moscow, Washington’s top diplomat told the Financial Times that Beijing had “engaged with Russia and told it, ‘don’t go there.'”

news week has contacted the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries for comment via email.

Why is it important

Since the beginning of its large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and its propagandists have made repeated threats about its nuclear arsenalstoking fears that Moscow could resort to such weapons in its large-scale invasion.

Western sanctions have meant that China is Russia’s ally. largest business partner and the prospect of it putting pressure on Moscow in the war indicates the influence Beijing could have in preventing atomic weapons from being used in the war.

What to know

The Financial Times asked Blinken how seriously Washington took Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling, which was seen as a reason why the United States did not provide Ukraine with certain long-range weapons during the war for fear of escalation. .

Blinken told the newspaper that Washington was “very concerned” about the possibility of Putin using nuclear weapons and that even if the probability “went from 5 to 15 percent, when it comes to nuclear weapons, nothing is more serious.”

“We have reason to believe that China contacted Russia and said, ‘don’t go there,'” he said.

The Financial Times article published on Friday said Blinken believed a “similar dynamic” was at play when the United States told China that the Russian president was planning to place a nuclear weapon in space.

Blinken claimed that Putin had suffered a “strategic defeat” with NATO larger than ever since its invasion and its members spend more on helping Ukraine. “I don’t think anyone can complain that they haven’t done their part,” he said.

Blinken also rejected criticism that the Biden administration had delayed weapons supplies, saying issues such as whether kyiv can operate and maintain the systems were factors in the decision-making.

In November, the Biden administration lifted its restrictions on the use of long-range weapons like ATACMS in Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia. US intelligence officials cited by Reuters said this decision had not increased the risk of a Russian nuclear attack.

In November, Putin signed a decree that changed Russia’s nuclear doctrine, lowering the threshold for the use of atomic weapons. This coincided with an attack by Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic missile against the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

What people say

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Financial Times: “We have reason to believe that China reached out to Russia and said, ‘don’t go there.'”

An anonymous US congressional aide told Reuters: “The assessments were consistent: ATACMs were not going to change Russia’s nuclear calculus.”

Vladimir Putin said in December: “What we need now is not improve nuclear energy doctrine, but the Oreshnik (hypersonic missile).

What happens next?

The war has entered another year and it is unclear whether Putin will continue to reiterate his nuclear threats, which remain ambiguous, especially since military analysts say they would not provide any military advantage to Ukraine.

Putin’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated in late December that Moscow will safeguard its national interests “by any means necessary.”

However, Putin boasted about the capabilities of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile fired at Dnipro and said its destructive power meant that “a sufficient number” of systems would mean there would be “virtually no need” for nuclear weapons.

“What we need now is not to improve the nuclear doctrine, but the Oreshnik,” Putin said the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, according to Russian state media.