Western countries considered the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons, overestimating the level of support from China for the Kremlin, states former head of US Central Command and former commander of Coalition Forces in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus.

According to Petraeus, at the start of the war, the US had legitimate concerns about the potential use of nuclear weapons by Russia. The Kremlin was warned that any use of tactical nuclear weapons would destroy Russia’s Black Sea fleet.

“However, we later saw the limits of China’s support for Russia. Eventually, Xi (Chinese President Xi Jinping) publicly called on Russia to refrain from such actions. Following that, (Indian Prime Minister Narendra) Modi also made a similar statement,” Petraeus noted.

Given these developments, the general added that there is currently no reason to believe Russia would resort to using even tactical nuclear weapons, let alone strategic ones.

Nuclear threats from the Kremlin

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine. These messages often surfaced during periods when the Russian army suffered setbacks on certain fronts.

Recently, CIA Director William Burns stated that in the fall of 2022, there was a possibility of the aggressor using nuclear weapons during the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region.

Burns later clarified that while Putin will periodically issue threats about starting a war with Western countries, these threats should not be taken too seriously.

According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, such threats from the dictator are mere words, as he fears losing the war.