The Telegraph: Putin Has Come To Despair
- 12.07.2025, 1:55
Parity has been shaken.
Former British army officer Hamish de Bretton-Gordon believes that a desperate Russian President Vladimir Putin may use tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine because he thinks the United States will not react to such a move.
In a column for The Telegraph, Hamish de Bretton-Gordon writes that the Kremlin has consistently threatened nuclear strikes since the start of the large-scale war in Ukraine. According to the retired British colonel, this indicates that Moscow is thinking about this scenario in detail.
"As three days have turned into more than three years, they may think they can quickly destroy Ukraine with tactical nuclear weapons and we will not respond," the columnist writes.
He adds that nuclear deterrence only works if there is parity and balance, which have been shaken after some of US President Donald Trump's comments on supporting security in Europe in recent months.
Russian Federation's tactical nuclear weapons could be countered by France and Britain
At the same time, Gamish de Bretton-Gordon notes that news of a joint Franco-British nuclear weapons alliance following French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to London this week will have a significant resonance in the Kremlin. In addition, Britain has previously announced that it is buying a nuclear-capable F-35A stealth fighter jet from the US to carry the B61 tactical nuclear gravity bomb
"On the one hand, it makes sense. It's unlikely that Britain would launch a Trident missile, which is a hundred times more powerful than a Russian tactical nuclear weapon, in such a situation. Some kind of response that doesn't involve unleashing Armageddon would be needed - and that is the kind of response that is becoming increasingly plausible," the British former officer said.
The agreement between France and Britain could free the countries from US control over tactical nuclear weapons. It would also signal to Putin that the French army could launch a tactical nuclear strike against the Russian army if he uses his own weapons against Ukraine, de Bretton-Gordon writes.
"This possibility will instill fear in him because it is not just an invasion army, it is in fact the entire Russian army and the basis of his power," the retired colonel notes.