Western leaders are no longer afraid of Russia's nuclear threats and are increasingly resolute in their support for Ukraine. This is reported by Time magazine, Censor.NET informs with reference to RBC-Ukraine.
Kremlin wants to prevent further assistance to Ukraine with nuclear threats
The publication notes that by escalating threats of nuclear war, the Kremlin is trying to prevent Western countries from supporting Ukraine, especially when it comes to weapons for long-range strikes on targets deep in Russia.
The publication reminded that on 19 September, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for weapons and permission to launch such strikes.
Moscow's response to this document was unusually harsh. The speaker of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, wrote on Telegram that the resolution "will lead to a world war with the use of nuclear weapons". He went on to write that a single Russian intercontinental ballistic missile could reach Strasbourg, where the European Parliament is located, in 3 minutes and 20 seconds.
In an interview with Time, European Parliament President Roberta Mecola called Volodin's statement "a typical confrontational reaction". When asked whether she took such threats seriously, the politician added: "If such rhetoric intensifies, we must be prepared for it."
At the same time, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen noted that she did not know whether the rhetoric of Kremlin officials was a bluff or the truth. However, according to her, "we can never allow someone who does not respect democracy, human rights and everything we believe in - we cannot allow them to decide what we should do."
"The measured response was in line with a growing trend among Western officials. For many of them, Vladimir Putin has become like a boy who shouts about nuclear weapons too often, blunting the impact of his own nuclear deterrent and allowing many Europeans to lose their fear of him," the newspaper writes.
According to Frederiksen, "fear and leadership do not go hand in hand". She added that the West's habit of worrying about Putin's "red lines" has led to too many delays in supporting Ukraine.
"The only red line I see in this war has already been crossed when they attacked Ukraine," the Danish Prime Minister said.
Russia will invent new "red lines"
Time notes that, clearly aware of the ignoring of the "red lines", the Kremlin continues to draw more and more of them. The publication recalled that a few days after Volodin's threat against Strasbourg, Putin said that Russia should lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. The dictator suggested that in the event of a large-scale attack using conventional weapons, such as missiles or even drones, Russia could respond with an atomic bomb.
"This formal change in nuclear doctrine, which previously provided for a nuclear response only in the event of an existential threat to Russia, made headlines and sparked a new round of debate in Western capitals. However, this has not caused a noticeable change in tone on the part of Ukraine or its closest allies," the newspaper writes.
Earlier, former NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg, answering a question about Putin's "red lines", said: "Many of them have already been crossed, and he has done nothing.
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