Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and retired U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis said on Sunday that Moscow could be slapped by its allies — including Iran and China — if Russian President Vladimir Putin uses nuclear weapons against Ukraine. -abandon.
Stavridis’ feedback came after the Russian president raised the nuclear risk to Ukraine on television last week.
“If Russia sees that its territorial integrity is threatened, we will use all the protection tactics at our disposal, this is not bluff,” Putin said. “Those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the wind can even reverse their course. “
Shortly after the invasion of Ukraine began in late February, Putin put his nuclear forces on excessive alert. For months, Russian state television has portrayed the fight as a battle between the West and Russia, a target that could intensify if the Kremlin deploys its estimated 6,000 warheads.

Ilya Pitarev
In an interview on WABC 770’s Cat Roundtable, Stavridis said Putin “just wasn’t seriously considering the use of nuclear weapons.”
“He knows that if he does that, it could turn the world against him completely. He will even lose the help of the Chinese Iranians. No one will help a Russia that uses nuclear weapons. So, I’m not going to take that seriously,” he added. road.
Information week The Russian Foreign Ministry has been asked to comment.
Former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said last week Information week He also believes that the Russian president’s nuclear risk is empty.
“He’s trying to scare people away from using nuclear weapons, but I think that’s bluffing,” Kasyanov said. “I don’t think he’s going to turn to nuclear weapons because he realizes he could be eradicated right away.”
“No one needs to be selected”
In Sunday’s interview, Stavridis also spoke about the “partial mobilization” Putin introduced last week. Through mobilization, the Russian Navy will appoint up to 300,000 naval-trained reservists to fight in Ukraine. The incident sparked protests and mass arrests across the country.
“[Putin’s] The biggest downside is that his troops are being killed. He misplaced about 80,000 of them. Now he has to replace her,” Stavridis said. “The problem for him is that no one needs to be drafted. Mass protests have vanished in Russian cities. The Vietnam era began to really feel the growing discontent among the civilian population. So I might give Vladimir Putin a very unhealthy week. “
In an interview in August, Stavridis said he believed Putin knew he made a mistake when he invaded Ukraine.
“I think in the middle of the night, when it was quiet at two in the morning, when he woke up, he realized he had made a mistake. In public, he would never admit it. Once. He will continue to perpetuate this fiction, Namely Ukraine is being ruled by “neo-Nazis”. It’s ridiculous, obviously,” Stavridis said.
U.S. officials talk to Moscow about using nuclear weapons
National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan said Sunday that U.S. officials had told the Russians that “Russia could be punished catastrophically if they use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.”
“Now we have immediately and privately advised the Russians to a very excessive degree that if they used nuclear weapons in Ukraine, the consequences for Russia could be catastrophic. We made it clear to them that the United States will work decisively with our allies and partners response,” Sullivan said on ABC. this weekIncluding the Russians “knowing exactly what they might get at retailers if they go down this dark path”.
Putin will be dumped by Iran and China if Russia uses nukes: James Stavridis