“The most important red line has been crossed already. And that was when the Russians entered Ukraine,” Mette Frederiksen says.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called Monday for Ukraine’s allies to greenlight the use of donated weapons for long-range strikes against Russia.
“My suggestion is, let us end the discussion about red lines,” Frederiksen told Bloomberg in an interview that aired Monday. Ukraine’s benefactors had made a “mistake” by engaging in handwringing over Kyiv hitting targets inside Russia, she added, as doing so had given Moscow “too good a card in their hands.”
Arms-donating countries, particularly the U.S., have set restrictions on Ukraine’s use of their weapons in long-range strikes, due to fears of being dragged further into a conflict with Russia.
That latest failed test was a new system, not yet implemented in Russia’s security structure. Their nuclear capability is for all intents and purposes still a threat.
Then how many red lines will be crossed before they use them? I personally think Russia is no longer a player in MAD.
Obviously we don’t want to prove that, it doesn’t benefit anyone. But given that Ukraine is now fortified within Russian territory, and the main opposition to ever invading Russia was the threat of nuclear retaliation, I really doubt it. Especially considering how crazy the Kremlin is.
It’s kind of really reassuring to think about. China being the sole MAD player could end the anxiety of nuclear extinction for a long, long time. The West has no intentions of using them again, and I have no doubt China is not interested in it either. They seem to be pretty good about the whole self-preservation thing, at least in theory if not always in practice.
Proving Russia isn’t a player in MAD would greatly benefit NATO’s Eurasian strategy. But we need to act as if they still are because it’s simply unknown what the extent of their nuclear capabilities are.
I think there is good rationale on Putin’s side for not using nukes in the Ukrainian war, as there is no way to use them without downstream effects on neighboring countries. Any use of nukes in Ukraine would provoke a decisive response from NATO. That’s why NATO has been able to cross every one of Russia’s red lines so far: Russia only stands to lose if they follow through.