US(Washington Insider Magazine)-Russia’s recent posturing of the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons in the war with Ukraine has recently met with a firm response from the United States. Promises of swift and decisive catastrophic consequences were called upon to be imposed if Russian President Vladimir Putin follows through with his destructive nuclear threats.
On Sunday’s Face the Nation program, President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, shared that ongoing talks between both the US and Russian administrations are continuing, but, as of yet, President Putin has not given any indication of changing his position.
Americans still visiting or living abroad in Russia are strongly encouraged by the US State Department to leave the country as expeditiously as possible while commercial flights are still available. The US government’s ability to assist US citizens departing from Russia is severely limited.
While admitting that attempting to predict the internal workings of Putin’s mind is somewhat of a crapshoot, Sullivan maintains that the US is fully prepared to act quickly and decisively should Russia decide to exercise nuclear aggression against Ukraine in the days or weeks to come. Without going into detail, Sullivan explained the three-pronged response by the US upon invasion.
The first prong of the US response is to continue to support Ukraine against Russian aggression. To date, the United States has supplied Ukraine with $15 billion in military weapons in defense of its democracy.
With the help of NATO allies and partners, the second prong of the US response is to impose severe economic sanctions targeting Russia’s financial systems as well as their defense industrial base.
The third and final prong of the response is to employ a “reinforce/reassure/deter” plan of action which includes reinforcing bordering NATO-allied countries with military support, reassuring the eastern border countries of the US and NATO allies’ commitment to defending democracy, and deterring Russian aggression toward any of the NATO partners.
Ukraine is a former Soviet nation and became an independent country in 1991 during the collapse of the U.S.S.R. The War in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, when President Putin announced Russia would be conducting military action against Ukraine to allegedly protect people from unfounded claims of genocide and abuse in the Donbas region by the Kyiv regime.
