US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made an important statement about the potential use of nuclear weapons by Russia and the role of China in this process. According to Blinken, Russia has seriously considered the possibility of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, but China played a key role in restraining Moscow from this step.
Blinken stressed that the United States was "very concerned" by the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin, at least at some stage, could seriously consider the use of nuclear weapons. He noted that although the likelihood of such a step increased from 5 to 15 percent, the use of nuclear weapons remained an extremely serious threat.
"We have reason to believe that China has attracted Russia and said, 'don't do it," Blinken added, pointing to Beijing's role in deterring nuclear escalation. He also suggested that such dynamics could have arisen after the United States warned China on Putin's plans to launch nuclear weapons into space.
In addition, Blinken stated that Putin had been defeated, and NATO became more powerful and secured by resources than ever, which significantly reduces Russia's capabilities for further aggression.
