Ex-CIA director says using nuclear weapons in Ukraine would lead to catastrophe

President Joe Biden’s stark warning that the world faces the highest prospect of nuclear war in 60 years was not based on any new intelligence about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions or changes in Russia’s nuclear posture, multiple US officials told CNN.
The US still has seen no evidence that Putin is moving toward using Russia’s nuclear capability, nor is there any intelligence showing he’s decided to do so. But Biden’s comments, laid out in starker terms than other US officials have used to date, reflected heightened concerns inside his administration about the risk of Russia carrying out a nuclear strike in Ukraine, where Russian forces have recently faced a string of defeats.
Former CIA Director Leon Panetta gives his reaction to CNN's Erin Burnett.
#CNN #News

57 comments

  1. Deep condolences to all mother, father, children and family who lost their lives in this war. Slava Ukraine🇺🇦🇺🇦

  2. Given Russia’s competence shown so far, if they did launch a tactical nuke against Ukraine, they’d probably hit Belarus by accident!

    1. @Magnetic Ukraine can export scrap metal from those tanks. Before Ukraine export grains and food product, now they added a new export, scrap metal. Courtesy of mr. Pootin from his birthday.

  3. I wish these interviews would talk about the bigger picture: This problem of Putin using nuclear weapons also greatly concerns China, India, and many other nations.
    *I don’t believe China will tolerate Russian use of nukes.*
    Such a move will wreck the things China cares about most: world markets, trade, China’s reputation as a Russian partner, stability and harmony in society (recall they are already having Covid problems and chaos internally), and other problems too, such as fallout raining down and causing panic, food and water hoarding, and so on in China.

    India is in a similar boat, and that doesn’t begin to talk about the EMP from such an attack, that could extend into EU and NATO nations, poision air and water, and also affect Russia too.
    Putin can threaten, but I don’t believe China or India will put up with nuclear attacks, as they will suffer.

    1. @dze zonja I fear that it already started with China’s little pet rat North Korea making a lot of noise as a decoy

  4. A nuke’s radiation would also affect neighbouring countries. It would be a de facto declaration of war on Europe, and draw the appropriate response. Presumably, Putin would go thousands of miles away, indifferent to the impact of radiation all along Russia’s western flank, and of fallout reaching Moscow, too. He seems to have lost all reason, but it remains to be seen whether the same can be said of his generals.

  5. Only fools want war. That famous eisenhower quote..” I hate war only as a soldier who has lived it can, only as onee who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.”

    1. @T. R. Campbell That you’re OK with testing weapons in other’s conflicts but don’t wish to lend a hand against unprovoked aggression speaks volumes. It doesn’t say good things about you.

    1. @Teemu Leisti He doesn’t know any intel anymore. I don’t know remember why Obama let him go, but it was clearly a GOOD idea

    1. @dutchdna Obviously hes talking about that. What I was saying if nukes start going off there will be no more money, advertising or CNN

    2. @Sonny They won’t go off here but even if they do, and CNN is still around, they will have people glued to their TV’s.

  6. Given the ‘stellar’ performance of their troops and equipment thus far, I’d be concerned about the state of their NBC forces. Considering his history, I’m surprised at the focus on nuclear forces and not chemical which Putin has used in the past….and been permitted by the world stage to get away with.

  7. Despite having seen better days, LP is absolutely spot-on. Per chance nukes are in order (very grim). Cheers!

  8. I am worried that Putin will drop a nuclear bomb on Russian soil and then say that Nato did it. And then he will nuke Ukraine on that predicament. In his speech said that we should remember that Americans nuke first. Why would he say that? And why would he prepare his people for a nuclear bomb?

    1. @2:21 Vlad you’re gonna need much darker sunglasses than that and lots I mean LOTS of sunscreen…

  9. I think much of what I’ve seen on this question misses the real danger. The use of nuclear weapons in war has fallen under a taboo that for the first time in the history of warfare, has worked. Nuclear weapons have not been used in anger since 9 August 1945. If it happens again, Pandora’s box is open, and it may come to be seen as just another weapon in a nation’s arsenal.

    1. @pHixiq Sorry kid, basic arithmetic on the Pacific campaign begs to differ. USA Deaths in the Pacific: roughly 161,000 Japan’s deaths in the Pacific: over 2.1 million (no this doesn’t include civilians). You also understand that operation downfall expected exponentially more Japanese deaths right? Your over the top emotional investment into politics made you ignorant to math a 2nd grader could do… get ahold of yourself

    2. @Zachary Kalscheur I think it’s misleading to compare those two figures as the Japanese deaths in the pacific theatre include the deaths involved with fighting China, Russia, the Philippines and other ally powers in that theatre. In contrast, the US deaths essentially only came from the Japanese. For example, around 455,700–700,000 Japanese military died in the Second SIno-Japenese War (i.e. died in china during WW2). However, the Japanese were flying planes into things and not to mention performing Seppuku, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the US had a good K/D ratio.

      Not that I disagree with your point, as I have no opinion either way. As somebody who uses statistics in academia, I want to promote transparent statistics wherever possible. I’m sure you had no intention of doing that. You may even find, especially with these large numbers, that the accurate statistics still support your point.

    3. @Will I completely agree with your assessment, and agree that it would be much more accurate to assess it by battle which is actually broken down: http://ajrp.awm.gov.au/ajrp/AJRP2.nsf/530e35f7e2ae7707ca2571e3001a112d/e7daa03b9084ad56ca257209000a85f7?OpenDocument

      However, in seeing the first comment of pHixiq, I felt a deeper dive into the numbers and applying nuance to the numbers (it is still extremely one sided with those adjustments) was not appropriate / needed given his tone, diction, and insistence on employing logical fallacies to reach a conclusion he made before even attempting to understand the facts going as far as to actively lie to support a predetermined opinion

  10. “Ex-CIA director says using nuclear weapons in Ukraine would lead to catastrophe” so let’s #ConvinceItForward

  11. I have a tremendous amount of confidence in our US military. We have brilliant, sound minds behind our weaponry. Just don’t want it to get to that point.

    1. @xW1nDs0Rx yea but it’s always been obvious that Putin was a loose cannon. This situation is one that doesn’t have a good outcome.

  12. As someone who lived in the Middle East wars i can tell you that’s how suffering starts. 2 governments or parties start bluffing at each other then something bad happens and all wisdom is gone and war starts. The people who will suffer the most are civilians economically mentally and in terms of safety.

  13. “All of Ukraine belongs to us.”
    Of course when you see the destruction in Ukraine, pride of ownership is the last thing that comes to mind.

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