“If you keep pressing, use nuclear weapons”… US ‘Tiger Team’ activated on Russian warning

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The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 23rd that US President Joe Biden is on a visit to Europe on the 24th (local time) and the US government is preparing an emergency plan for fear of Russia’s use of nuclear weapons.

The U.S. government started preparing for Russia’s use of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, in a “Tiger Team” led by White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, the New York Times reported.

In the ‘Tiger Team’ formed on the 28th of last month, as the possibility of Russia’s use of nuclear weapons increases, it is reported that they are discussing setting up a red line for military intervention by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including the US military.

According to the New York Times, a senior U.S. government official said, “If Russia uses small nuclear weapons in Ukraine, there is no option for the United States and NATO not to intervene in the war.” If Russia uses nuclear weapons once morest Ukraine, it is interpreted to mean that it will directly intervene in the war.

The official, however, declined to comment on the countermeasures the US would take if Russia uses nuclear weapons, the New York Times said.

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Another official said he was keeping his distance from Biden’s direct intervention in Ukraine, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t closely monitoring the situation.

He also stressed that President Biden would overturn his position if any limitations were to appear in any way.

NATO, like the United States, is providing arms to Ukraine, but refrains from direct clashes with Russia for fear of escalation. Weapons and fighters are not supported. This is because Russia has stated that if it provides fighters, it is considered participation in the war.

The recent refusal of the US Department of Defense to fill the void with US fighters in place of Poland’s supply of fighters to Ukraine is also analyzed to have contributed to the burden of escalation.

In fact, the prevailing opinion was that the possibility of Russia’s use of nuclear weapons was not realistic even at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.

However, as 28 days have passed since the invasion on the 24th of last month, the war is showing signs of prolongation and the Russian army is struggling unexpectedly, so this prediction has changed abruptly.

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In fact, Western intelligence authorities are concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin may use chemical and chemical weapons or small tactical nuclear weapons in certain areas to change the tide of war.

For this reason, the ‘Tiger Team’ in the United States also came up with measures to deal with the rapidly changing situation. U.S. officials analyzed that Russia may use small tactical nuclear weapons that are less powerful than the nuclear bombs dropped on Nagasaki or Hiroshima, Japan during World War II.

Russia also began to refer to the word ‘nuclear’ directly.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with CNN on the 22nd that “Russia’s ‘national security concept’ stipulates that the use of nuclear weapons only when the existence of the state is in crisis.”

Dmitry Medvedev, a deputy chairman of the National Security Council, a close aide to Putin, also warned in a Telegram on the 23rd that “the United States is trying to destroy Russia.”

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden will attend the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium on the 24th. President Biden will discuss Russia’s concerns regarding the use of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear and chemical weapons.

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