Poland urges 'devastating' NATO response if Russia launches nuclear attack in Ukraine

In the midst of the ongoing brutal war in Eastern Europe, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau stated that North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should retaliate against any use of nuclear weapons in war-torn Ukraine in a non-nuclear yet "devastating" manner. Rau made these remarks during his visit to the United States. According to The Guardian report, the minister stated that the alliance has been in the middle of conveying this message to Moscow.  

FM Rau told the NBC News program Meet the Press, “To the best of our knowledge, Putin is threatening to use tactical nuclear weapons on Ukrainian soil, not to attack NATO, which means that NATO should respond in a conventional way”. He further added, “But the response should be devastating. And I suppose this is the clear message that the NATO alliance is sending to Russia right now.” 

As powerful Ukrainian counteroffensives are resulting in recovering more and more territory from Russian control, worries have emerged that a desperate Vladimir Putin may employ a nuclear weapon, which might be a lower-yield tactical warhead, to shock Ukraine into ceasing its resistance to his invasion, as per The Guardian report.  

Ukraine's Armed Forces had already beaten Russia's professional troops: Poland FM

The goal of the Russian military's increased conscription is to send 300,000 extra men to Ukraine, but there are allegations that the actual target is far higher. Speaking about Russia's partial military mobilisation call, Rau stated, “Obviously, President Putin is losing the war in Ukraine,” The Guardian reported. “So, his reaction to it is to launch mobilisation. But the mobilisation doesn’t seem to help him win the war, he added. The new conscripts, who were inadequately trained and "poorly equipped," the Foreign Minister of Poland claimed, were unlikely to alter the course of the conflict because Ukraine's armed forces had already beaten Russia's professional troops. 

Besides this, the deployment of nuclear weapons by the Kremlin would have "catastrophic consequences for Russia," according to Jake Sullivan, the US national security advisor, who made the warning on Sunday. He claimed that this had been "spelled out" in private meetings with Russian officials. 

In the meantime, on June 15, Poland's defence minister emphasised the necessity of coordination in order to guarantee that help reaches Ukraine in accordance with the demands of the war-torn nation. On June 15, the NATO defence ministers' meeting was held in Brussels, and the Polish defense minister, Mariusz Blaszczak, participated. Błaszczak stated, "The point is to coordinate the action, so that the support to Ukraine reaches Ukraine in response to Ukrainian expectations, so that it makes sense," as per media reports.  

(Image: AP)