NATO told Russia that Russia could not win a nuclear war

Moscow must know that a nuclear war cannot be won and should never be fought, says NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy president of Russia’s Security Council, issued a new nuclear warning to Ukraine and the West on Tuesday, after Russia began publishing the results of referendums held as part of preparations to annex four Ukrainian regions.

The nuclear warning issued by Medvedev, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is one of several issued by Putin and his associates in recent weeks.

However, Medvedev’s warning differed from previous ones in that he predicted for the first time that NATO would not risk a nuclear war and become directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, even if Moscow attacks Ukraine with nuclear weapons.

“I believe that NATO will not directly intervene in the conflict, even in this scenario. Demagogues across the ocean and in Europe will not perish in a nuclear disaster,” he wrote in a post on Telegram.

Analysts say the warnings are aiming to deter Ukraine and the West by signalling a readiness to use tactical nuclear weapons to defend annexed territories, while Russian forces have been facing strong Ukrainian counterattacks for weeks.

‘It will completely change the nature of the conflict’

NATO said on Tuesday that Russia’s use of nuclear weapons was unacceptable and would have severe consequences, after Medvedev issued another nuclear warning to Ukraine and the West over its use.

“Any use of nuclear weapons is absolutely unacceptable and will completely change the nature of the conflict. “Russia must know that a nuclear war cannot be won and should never be fought,” said Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

“When we see this kind of nuclear rhetoric coming out of Russia over and over again, from President Putin, it’s something that we should take very seriously. Therefore, we are sending a clear message that this will have serious consequences for Russia,” Stoltenberg said.

US newspaper Politico quoted unnamed officials as saying that Washington and its allies are closely monitoring any indication of a possible Russian nuclear attack in Ukraine./Al Jazeera