U.S. Warns Russia of ‘Catastrophic Consequences’ if It Uses Nuclear Weapons
David Sanger and Jim Tankersley | The New York Times
President Joe Biden’s national security adviser said Sunday that the United States had warned Russia that there would be “catastrophic consequences” for the country if Moscow used nuclear weapons in its increasing desperation to hold on to territory in Ukraine, adding that in recent days the United States has “spelled out” how the world would react in private conversations with Russian officials. The adviser, Jake Sullivan, repeated the comments several times in three Sunday television interviews, although he left deliberately vague whether those consequences would be military, economic or diplomatic. Officials were quick to say they still had not seen any movement in Russia’s stockpile of 2,000 or so small tactical weapons — which can be launched from a short- or medium-range missile — despite President Vladimir Putin’s threats in a televised address last week that “this is not a bluff.”
Medvedev Raises Spectre of Russian Nuclear Strike on Ukraine
Guy Faulconbridge and Caleb Davis | Reuters
An ally of President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday outlined the scenario of a nuclear strike on Ukraine, saying that the U.S.-led NATO military alliance would be too scared of a 'nuclear apocalypse' to directly enter the conflict in response. Dmitry Medvedev, a former president who now serves as deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said Russia had the right to defend itself with nuclear weapons if it is pushed beyond its limits and that this is "certainly not a bluff".
Zelenskyy on Putin’s Threat of Nuclear Weapons: ‘I Don’t Think he’s Bluffing’
Ashley Capoot | CNBC
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia’s threat of nuclear weapons use “could be a reality,” in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday.“He wants to scare the whole world. These are the first steps of his nuclear blackmail. I don’t think he’s bluffing,” Zelenskyy said.
Japan's Restart of Nuclear Reactors Will Help Europe's Winter Energy Supply -IEA Chief Says
Reuters
Japan's restart of more nuclear power plants would help ease Europe's energy supply fears during the winter as more liquefied natural gas (LNG) will become available to the global market, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday. Europe is racing to prepare for an energy crunch this winter, with the Russia-Ukraine war hampering gas flows and prompting fears of possible blackouts and a recession.
South Korea says North Korea test-fired missile toward sea
KIM TONG-HYUNG | Associated Press
North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile Sunday toward its eastern seas, extending a provocative streak in weapons testing as a U.S. aircraft carrier visits South Korea for joint military exercises in response to the North’s growing nuclear threat. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile launched from the western inland town of Taechon flew 600 kilometers (370 miles) cross-country on a maximum altitude of 60 kilometers (37 miles) before landing in waters off North Korea’s eastern coast.
Let’s Be Honest About the Iran Nuclear Deal
Aaron David Miller | Foreign Policy
Any new accord will have serious downsides, and we should be honest about those shortcomings. Far from being “longer and stronger” than the original 2015 deal (formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA), as the Biden administration perhaps unrealistically had hoped, any new accord is going to be on the shorter and weaker side simply because, during the last four years since the Trump administration walked out of the deal, Iran has amassed a great deal of nuclear knowledge and capacity, much of it unmonitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).