According to a global affairs expert, Vladimir Putin is "aware" that Donald Trump's approach for Ukraine will fail, and is thus "preparing his strategies" after Trump's return to the White House. Professor Anthony Glees notes Putin's new nuclear doctrine aligns with his expectations of Trump regaining power—this shortly after Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to send US-made missiles into Russia.
Unlike Biden, Trump has vowed to limit US aid to Ukraine and seek a rapid end to the conflict, potentially even before entering office again.
Professor Glees, who specializes in security and intelligence at the University of Buckingham, argues Putin knows Trump's strategy won't work long term, estimating that the Russian leader plans to capture all of Ukraine and target Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to secure Russia’s triumph.
Nuclear war could be imminent as Russia warns of 'big jump' towards WW3 Major Russian air attack could be inbound as 'specific information' sees US close Kyiv embassyIn light of Ukraine firing six long-range missiles at a Russian military base, followed by Putin's authorization for nuclear force in case of national threat, Glees explained to the Mirror: "He [Putin] knows Trump will broker peace on the basis of Putin retaining what he's already seized, forcing Ukraine to renounce NATO membership for 25 years.
"Putin knows this deal would not be worth the paper it's written on and after a while will seek to take all of Ukraine and kill Zelensky into the bargain," reports the Express US.
According to the expert, Putin is aware of the new US administration's inclination towards pacifism, as highlighted by Donald Trump Jr.'s criticism of Biden for allowing Ukraine to use US-supplied missiles against Russia.
Trump Jr. expressed his concerns on X, stating: "The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives. Gotta lock in those $trillions. Life be damned! ! ! Imbeciles! ".
Professor Glees noted that the term "military-industrial complex" is reminiscent of the language used by peace advocates in the 1960s and 1970s. He explained that Trump's stance is significant, as he is essentially a peacenik who prefers to avoid war and seeks peace at any cost, drawing parallels with Neville Chamberlain's approach of appeasing dictators.
However, history has shown this approach to be flawed. Meanwhile, an expert has interpreted Putin's latest doctrine as a bold assertion of his right to launch a nuclear attack on Ukraine or even the US and UK at his discretion.
Professor Glees has issued a stark warning, saying: "He's saying, with cold brazen cheek, not just that he would deploy nukes if Russia (or Belarus) faced aggression from conventional force of arms if this were to 'threaten our sovereignty or territorial integrity' but that if a conventionally armed state (i.e. Ukraine) were 'supported' by a nuclear power (i.e. The USA - or the UK), this would be considered a 'joint attack' on Russia and be met by a nuclear response."
The expert cautioned about "our weakness" in response to Putin's threats. Despite this, Glees was doubtful of any impactful pushback against Trump's potential leniency towards Putin regarding Ukraine succeeding Biden's presidency.
Highlighting the grave risk of global warfare and the chance of US and UK involvement in an all-out conflict, he underlined the critical need for reinforcing military defenses, stressing: "The thing that is most worrying is our weakness.
"We should tell Putin that we won't listen to these threats any longer, if he wants to fight us he'd better bring it on. If he attacks us and NATO we will obliterate him. Sadly we're not able to prevent Trump from giving Putin Ukraine, either early next year or over the years to come. That's the result of our being too weak in conventional terms and having a US president who was too fearful to back up his fine words with the fine weapons Ukraine needed."
The commentary continued: "But it's clear to me that there's nothing we can do between now and Trump taking over that can save Ukraine in the long run other than arm ourselves with conventional weapons and conventional forces as quickly as we can. This is a huge ask from a cash-strapped UK and a cash-strapped EU. But we're fighting for our way of life here and that does not come cheap."
Professor Glees commented on the reports about six missiles being fired into Russia, stating that it is unlikely to provoke a nuclear response at present, but it remains uncertain how Trump will respond to this recent development. The document Putin signed on Tuesday is an updated version from June 2020, which analysts see as the Russian leader's attempt to maintain face while the Ukrainian conflict nears its 1,000-day milestone.
Russia's newly adopted doctrine reveals that the nation may turn to nuclear deterrence in response to aggression from hostile countries and military alliances with significant WMD or conventional arms capabilities, as per RT. The policy also covers states offering their territory for attacks against Russia.
Sanctioned by the Russian president, the doctrine views an attack by any alliance member, even a non-nuclear one, as an assault by the entire bloc. Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council since 2020, has warned of a potential escalation to WW3.
On his Telegram channel, he ominously stated, "what is happening may have very serious consequences." He further noted, "It is not so important who and when made the decision to use NATO tactical ballistic and long-range cruise missiles 'deep into the territory' of Russia. Moreover, there have already been attempts to use them against our country."
In another statement, he remarked: "It is not so important how many of them the enemy has today. It is also important to note that their use, in the opinion of our enemies, should have not only a military but also an informational effect."
Medvedev has issued a stark warning, stating: "It is not so important that these missiles will not be able to make a significant contribution to the enemy's military actions. It is not so important that with such decisions the current US administration is deliberately creating such an escalation of the conflict that Trump's team will have to deal with."
He further clarified: "One thing is important - what the Head of the Russian State said on September 12. As a result, a new version of the Fundamentals of State Policy in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence was approved today. The use of alliance missiles in this way can now be qualified as an attack by the bloc's countries on Russia. In this case, the right arises to launch a retaliatory strike with weapons of mass destruction against Kyiv and the main NATO facilities, wherever they are. And this is already WWIII."
Following Medvedev's alarming statements, several NATO countries have started issuing guidance to their citizens on how to prepare for potential military conflicts. Sweden, for instance, is updating its residents with guidelines on what to do if war breaks out.
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