Vladimir Putin continues to threaten the West with nuclear weapons, and his rhetoric of intimidation has intensified following reports that Ukraine may receive permission from allies to strike deep into Russian territory with Western weapons. However, despite constant threats from the Kremlin, European politicians no longer take these nuclear threats seriously. About this writes Time edition.
Western leaders, as the newspaper notes, have stopped fearing nuclear blackmail from Russia and emphasize that support for Ukraine in this war will continue regardless of Moscow’s threats.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed a firm position, stressing that Europe cannot allow a dictator who does not respect democracy and human rights to determine the policy of other countries. She also compared Putin to a boy who “cries wolves too many times” regarding nuclear weapons. In her opinion, Putin’s frequent threats have only weakened their influence — the West no longer perceives these threats as a real danger.
“Fear and leadership do not go hand in hand”, — noted Frederiksen.
She added that Western caution about Putin’s “red lines” often led to delays in providing aid to Ukraine. In her opinion, the only real “red line” was crossed when Russia invaded Ukraine.
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, also reacted to the next nuclear threats from Russia, calling them a typical tactic of Moscow in response to the actions of the West, which do not correspond to the interests of the Kremlin. She emphasized that Putin is deliberately going into conflict with Europe. At the same time, Metsola noted that concrete measures may be taken in case of increased rhetoric.
Earlier, the Kremlin, faced with ignoring its “red lines”, declared the need to lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.
