Russian President Vladimir Putin is shifting from overt nuclear brinkmanship to using Russia’s nuclear energy program as a “peaceful” tool of influence, especially through technology transfers to developing countries. Putin’s proposal to extend some terms of the U.S.–Russia New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) projects restraint but lacks real arms control measures. This move is intended to make the Russian posture toward the West more ambiguous against the background of their ongoing war against Ukraine and gray zone tactics in Europe. The Kremlin’s softened nuclear rhetoric, paired with recent incursions into European airspace, seeks to split opinion and undermine U.S. and European responses to Russian aggression.
Putin Attempts to Shift Nuclear Brinkmanship (Pavel K. Baev – The Jamestown Foundation)
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