Russia warning NATO to stay out of Ukraine

The Russian Foreign Ministry has characterized Russia’s upcoming tactical nuclear missile drills as a bid by Moscow to cool down the ‘hot heads’ in Western capitals threatening to deploy ground troops in Ukraine, and take other aggressive steps which looks to escalate the proxy war in Ukraine into a full-blown Russia-NATO conflagration.

Russia’s military has parried bellicose statements by officials and lawmakers in Washington, Paris and London about deploying troops in Ukraine by announcing drills involving battlefield nuclear weapons.

Sputnik asked Earl Rasmussen, a 20-year veteran of the US Army-turned independent military and foreign affairs observer, what it all means.

The exercises must be considered in the context of recent bellicose statements by Western officials and the sharply destabilizing actions taken by a number of NATO countries to pressure Russia with force, and to create additional threats to the security of our country in connection with the conflict in and around Ukraine.

This includes threats to provide new forms of direct assistance to Kiev, including the transfer of increasingly advanced atom weapons to the Zelensky regime, as well as the US decision to tear up arms control agreements with Russia in a bid to militarize both Europe and Asia.

Moscow also warned that it will treat any F-16 fighter jets that NATO plans to deliver to Ukraine as potential carriers of nuclear weapons, and that it considers the decision to supply them as a deliberate provocation.

Combined with Poland’s talk of willingness to deploy US nuclear weapons on its soil, reports of French mercenaries already fighting in Ukraine, and other type of hostile provocations.

The Foreign Ministry emphasized that the Western bloc’s efforts signal a deliberate push toward a further escalation of the Ukrainian crisis toward an open military clash between NATO and Russia as part of the implementation of the hostile course of inflicting a‘strategic defeat on Moscow.

Moscow summoned British Ambassador to Russia Nigel Casey to warn him over the implications of Foreign Minister David Cameron’s comments during his May 2 visit to Kiev about the admissibility using British weaponry to carry out strikes on Russian territory.

Using British weapons on Russian territory could include any counter strike on British military facilities and equipment on the territory of Ukraine and beyond.

Moscow separately summoned French Ambassador to Russia Pierre Levy in connection with…bellicose statements by the French leadership, and France’s growing involvement in the Ukrainian crisis.

If the Western leaders escalate this further with direct engagement, Russia will directly engage them: and they’ll destroy their forces, and potentially to protect the Russian state will, may result in tactical nuclear weapons [being used].

This is not good: this would force an escalation and eventually lead to a total nuclear war.

I don’t believe that Russia wants to do this. I believe they’re trying to send a signal to caution the Western leaders from escalating further, the 20-year US Army veteran-turned international and military affairs commentator added.

Unfortunately, Rasmussen warned, the hostile statements coming out of Western capitals about getting engaged in Ukraine if the Ukrainian front collapses serve to increase the risks of a direct clash.

This is a very, very dangerous provocation, a very dangerous escalation. I would caution Western leaders not to do that.

Ukraine is not a NATO ally, pointing out that Kiev at best is a kind of pseudo ally, having received years of funding and training from NATO countries, but having no obligation from the bloc to come to its aid, much less perish in a potential flashpoint with Russia.

Sputnik / ABC Flash Point News 2024.