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Vladimir Putin reportedly told French President Emmanuel Macron that the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki show “that you don’t have to attack big cities to end a war.”
Ukraine and Western allies have speculated at the highest levels about the threat of a Russian nuclear strike — particularly with tactical nuclear weapons designed to wreak havoc on the battlefield.
According to reports in the US media, Washington had intelligence showing that senior Russian officials had recently held talks to discuss when and how Moscow might use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine.
But many in the West doubt that the Russian president would risk the global backlash that would follow crossing such a firm red line.
This week, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he didn’t think Mr Putin would order the use of a tactical nuclear weapon, saying the law would “entail Russia’s immediate exit from the Club of Civilized Nations”.
Russia has been warned of such an attack by allies. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday condemned the Kremlin’s nuclear threats.
Moscow denies plans to draw on its vast nuclear arsenal – despite repeated allegations to the contrary from Mr Putin – and has repeatedly claimed without substantiation that Ukraine intends to use a radioactive “dirty bomb”.
The Mail on Sunday reported to a French government source that the Russian president had referred to Hiroshima in a call with Mr Macron, which had “clearly alarmed” the French president.
“It sounded like a very strong indication that Putin could detonate a tactical nuclear weapon in eastern Ukraine while leaving Kyiv intact,” the source said. “That seemed to be the thrust of his statements.”
Hiroshima after the atomic bomb was dropped
(Getty)
“The two presidents undoubtedly discussed the risk of using nuclear weapons. Putin wants to send the message that all options are on the table, consistent with Russian doctrine on nuclear weapons.”
The date of the call was not given. Mr. Macron spoke to Mr. Putin several times during the war.
In September, Mr Putin made his clearest threat that he was ready to use nuclear weapons, saying that “all means” would be used to defend Russia’s territory.
He also claimed that the US set a precedent at the end of World War II by dropping atomic bombs on Japan.
Putin and Macron meet in the Kremlin in 2018
(AFP/Getty)
A survivor of the August 6, 1945 bombing of Hiroshima last week said he thought the world could soon see another nuclear attack.
“My biggest fear is that the Ukraine conflict will escalate,” Toshiyuki Mimaki, 80, told The Guardian.
“Considering what Putin said recently, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had used nuclear weapons. And what would be the US reaction? We could be on the brink of another world war. I don’t think Putin is listening.”