Is Putin now poised to press the 'nuclear' button?

It is with world-wide admiration that the people of Ukraine are succeeding in defeating Putin's war machine against them with fortitude.

Their strength of mind is enabling  them to encounter the danger of Putin's massive attacks on their infrastructure and the civilian population, and to bear pain and adversity with courage.

Jessie Yeung and Katharina Krebs : CNN : 8 December 2022

And against the backdrop of the fortitude of the people of Ukraine, Jessie Yeung and Katharina Krebs report that,

" ..... without categorically ruling out the first use of nuclear weapons, Putin said he viewed the Russian nuclear arsenal as a deterrent rather than a provocation.

“As for the idea that Russia wouldn’t use such weapons first under any circumstances, then it means we wouldn’t be able to be the second to use them either – because the possibility to do so in case of an attack on our territory would be very limited,” he said.

“Nevertheless, we have a strategy… namely, as a defense, we consider weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons – it is all based around the so-called retaliatory strike,” he said. “That is, when we are struck, we strike in response.”  (CNN : 8 December 2022) (my emphasis)

Sean Meleady : Express : 8 December 2022

 As also reported by Sean Meleady,

"He [Putin] said: "This [using a nuclear bomb] threat is increasing, I can’t deny it.

"We have not gone crazy, we are aware of what nuclear weapons are.

"We have these means, and they are more advanced and more modern than those of any other nuclear country. (Express : 8 December 2022) (my emphasis)

Futhermore, and which rather underscores Putin's use of German Chancellor Sholtz and French President Macron as 'useful idiots', E. Eduardo Castillo and Jamey Keaten report that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged Wednesday that his “special military operation” in Ukraine is taking longer than expected but said it has succeeded in seizing new territory and added that his country’s nuclear weapons are deterring escalation of the conflict." (AP News : 7 December 2022) (my emphasis)

Referring to Macron's recent call for "appeasing" Putin, Alessandra Scotto di Santolo (right) writes,

"[Macron] added: “One of the essential points we must address — as President Putin has always said — is the fear that NATO comes right up to its doors, and the deployment of weapons that could threaten Russia."

According to Henry Jackson Society's Associate Research Fellow Dr Helena Ivanov, the French leader's comments could risk the security of Western allies as she warned Vladimir Putin could use them as a way to divide the West further.
....
"These comments from Macron are very likely to be used by Putin, if in no other way, then to create disunity among western allies." (Express : 6 December 2022) (my emphasis)

It would seem that Macron is rather impervious to the stoic suffering of the people of Ukraine as Putin continues with his "doodlebug" assault on the people of Ukraine.

As reported by Ian Lovett and  Georgi Kantchev,

"Russian strikes killed at least 10 people in eastern Ukraine, the deadliest single Russian attack on civilians in weeks, as President Vladimir Putin said he was preparing for a long, protracted conflict in the country.

A barrage of artillery fire struck the town of Kurakhove on Wednesday, hitting a market, a bus station and several residential buildings, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, Ukraine’s governor of the Donetsk region, where the town is located. He posted a video on Telegram showing a row of destroyed shops." (Wall Street Journal : 8 December 2022) (my emphasis)

Putin's current waving of his nuclear sword against Ukraine shows that his finger is now poised to press the 'nuclear' button.

STOP PRESS !!!

Helen Sullivan and agencies now also report that,

"Drinking what appeared to be sparkling wine, Vladimir Putin has vowed to keep battering Ukraine’s energy grid despite an outcry against the systematic attacks that have plunged millions into the cold and dark as winter sets in.

Speaking after an awards ceremony for “Heroes of Russia” at the Kremlin on Thursday, the president addressed a group of soldiers. Acknowledging the targeted attacks by Russia, Putin blamed Ukraine for initiating a trend of attacking civilian infrastructure, pointing to a blast on a key bridge between the Russian mainland and the annexed Crimean peninsula." (The Guardian : 9 December 2022) (my emphasis)

The Guardian : 9 December 2022

 Arpen Rai : MSN (The Independent) : 9 December 2022

(to be continued)