Russian nuclear attack in Ukraine would cross ‘very important line,’ NATO chief warns

Russia would cross a “very important line” if it used nuclear weapons in Ukraine, NATO’s secretary general warned Thursday.

In fact, Moscow would face “severe consequences” in the event of a nuclear strike, Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Belgium.

“We will not go into how exactly we will respond, but of course this will fundamentally change the nature of the conflict,” he said.

“It will mean that a very important line has been crossed. Even any use of a smaller nuclear weapon will be a very serious thing, changing the nature of the war in Ukraine.”

Stoltenberg’s comments come following a two-day meeting with NATO defence ministers in which they discussed support for Ukraine, while Russian missiles continued to rain over parts of the country.

Russia has ramped up its bombing campaign in the face of a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has seen Kyiv’s forces take back territory once held by Russia in the east. In response to the embarrassing defeats, Russian President Vladimir Putin has illegally annexed four Ukrainian regions and ordered a partial mobilization of troops to the region.

He has also upped the nuclear rhetoric, warning on Sept. 21 he was not bluffing when he said he would be willing to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia against what he claimed was “nuclear blackmail” from major western powers. U.S. President Joe Biden has said the world faces the biggest risk of nuclear Armageddon since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

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Meanwhile, western support for Ukraine has continued while the nation has fast-tracked its bid to join NATO. On Thursday, a Russian Security Council official was quoted in state media as saying Ukrainian admission into the military alliance would mean a “guaranteed escalation” into a Third World War.

Despite the talks of nuclear conflict, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters in Belgium on Wednesday the United States has not seen any indicators Russia was changing its nuclear posture.

In the coming weeks, Russia will hold nuclear drills, Stoltenberg said, and NATO would be “very vigilant” in monitoring them. NATO said it would go ahead with its annual nuclear preparedness exercise dubbed “Steadfast Noon” next week, in which NATO air forces practice the use of U.S. nuclear bombs based in Europe with training flights, without live weapons.

Cancelling the drills because of the Ukraine war would send a “very wrong signal,” Stoltenberg warned on Tuesday.

Russia has called its actions in Ukraine since the Feb. 24 invasion a “special operation” that it says is not designed to occupy territory, but to destroy its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists. It has denied deliberately attacking civilians.

The West has dismissed this and called it an attempt at an imperialistic-style land grab. In response, Canada and its allies have rallied around Ukraine to provide it with military and financial support, while also economically punishing Russia and its allies with severe sanctions.

— with files from Reuters