James Stavridis shared his arguments in an interview with Bloomberg.
James Stavridis, the former supreme commander of NATO's combined forces in Europe, assures that Vladimir Putin's threats regarding a nuclear strike are nothing more than a bluff.
First of all, if only tactical nuclear weapons are used, Russia will lose the support of the remaining partners who maintain a neutral position regarding the war in Ukraine. We are talking about China, India, several countries in Africa and Latin America. Partners will assess such a move as a potential personal threat.
Secondly, Vladimir Putin values his own life and fortune too much, and will not risk everything, even for the sake of victory in Ukraine. If Russia "presses the red button", the response of the West will be inevitable, as the leaders of NATO countries have repeatedly emphasized.
Of course, Putin and his generals understand that the use of tactical nuclear weapons will help win the war in Ukraine, Stavridis adds. To destroy Kyiv is to leave the country and the army without leadership, to bomb Lviv is to deprive the rear and weapons supply routes from the west, to destroy Odesa is a heavy blow to the Ukrainian economy.
However, having compared the risks, the Kremlin understands that local victories can be achieved with less radical methods, by concentrating a large share of military assets in a specific location. Therefore, Putin would rather resort to escalation than to a nuclear strike.
At the same time, there is a possibility that the Russian army will use chemical weapons in Ukraine. This step may not be taken to achieve military goals, but primarily to intimidate the Ukrainian people. In addition, this crime can be skillfully disguised by blaming everything on the so-called Ukrainian-American "secret laboratories", James Stavridis concluded.