Former CIA director warns USA of massive consequences over Putin's nuclear threat row

Former CIA director and retired four-star army general David Petraeus warned on Sunday that if Russian president Vladimir Putin uses nuclear weapons in the nation, the US and its allies would destroy Russia's troops and equipment in Ukraine as well as sink its Black Sea fleet. Petreaus said that he had not discussed the anticipated US response to a nuclear escalation from Russia with national security adviser Jake Sullivan, even though administration officials claim that this response has been frequently expressed to Moscow. In response, he said, "We would lead a Nato-as-a-whole campaign that would take out every Russian conventional force that we can see and identify on the battlefield in Ukraine, as well as in Crimea, and every ship in the Black Sea." The alert comes days after Putin made comments that many people regarded as a threat to escalate relations between Russia and the west into a full-scale war. When asked if the use of nuclear weapons by Russia in Ukraine would include the United States and NATO in the conflict, Petreaus responded that such an event would not fall under the provisions of Article 5 of the alliance, which calls for collective defense. Despite the fact that Ukraine is not a member of NATO, Petreaus claimed that a "US and NATO response" would be appropriate. Petreaus admitted that it may be possible to interpret the risk that radiation might reach NATO nations covered by Article 5 as an attack on a NATO member. [caption id="attachment_46694" align="aligncenter" width="620"] The ruins of St George's Monastery in the recaptured village of Dolyna in Donetsk oblast in Ukraine.[/caption] Maybe you can make that argument, he suggested. The second argument is that something is so appalling that a response is required; it cannot go unanswered. You don't want to restart this nuclear escalation, Petreaus continued. However, you must demonstrate that this is inadmissible in every way. However, Petreaus claimed that Putin was "desperate" as a result of rising pressure after Ukrainian successes in the country's east under the annexation declaration issued last week and mounting internal opposition to mobilization efforts.

“The battlefield reality he faces is, I think, irreversible,” he said. “No amount of shambolic mobilization, which is the only way to describe it; no amount of annexation; no amount of even veiled nuclear threats can actually get him out of this particular situation.

“At some point, there’s going to have to be recognition of that. At some point there’s going to have to be some kind of the beginning of negotiations, as [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelenskiy has said, will be the ultimate end.”

But, Petreaus warned, “It can still get worse for Putin and for Russia. And even the use of tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield won’t change this at all.” Still, he added, “You have to take the threat seriously.”