London: Putin wants to deter
Britain sees no movement on Russia’s nuclear weapons
02/28/2022, 11:03 am
British Defense Secretary Wallace sees Putin’s announcement to activate nuclear forces as a deterrent. According to London, there is no evidence of a major mobilization. In Germany, meanwhile, a European rearmament is being discussed.
The British government sees no significant changes in the strategic direction of the Russian nuclear forces. The nuclear weapons positions had been reviewed, “there is no significant change,” said British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace on LBC radio, a broadcaster from London. On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deterrent weapons to be put on high alert. This also includes nuclear forces, even if Putin did not explicitly mention them.
Wallace accused Putin of wanting to “flex his muscles” as his invasion of Ukraine stalled. The Russian head of state is currently acting out of a rhetoric of distraction. “He wants to remind us all that he has nuclear deterrence,” Wallace said. Britain, France and the US, however, had their own nuclear deterrents “that kept us safe for decades,” Wallace said.
China called for restraint after raising alert for Russian deterrent weapons. “All sides should remain calm, show restraint and avoid further escalation,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin in Beijing. China supports all efforts for détente and a peaceful political solution, the Chinese spokesman told the press. He reiterated that with NATO’s eastward expansion, Russia’s security concerns must be taken seriously and the issues properly resolved. In response to further questions, the spokesman emphasized that China and Russia are “strategic partners” but not “allies”. China decides its own attitude and policy on a case-by-case basis.
The political scientist Herfried Münkler had previously spoken out in favor of considering a possible nuclear option for the European Union independently of the USA. Putin’s threat makes it appear necessary “to think about a nuclear option for the Europeans independently of the USA, because one cannot be sure whether a president à la Donald Trump might soon be in power again in the USA, who also has shown excessive understanding for Putin in the current situation,” said the Berlin political scientist on Deutschlandfunk. The nuclear power France had already offered the other countries of the European Union a dialogue on nuclear deterrence in 2020.
In view of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the British government is also preparing stronger action against white-collar crime and wants to target Russian oligarchs in particular. The bill, which is due to be introduced on Tuesday, should enable tougher action against “black money in Great Britain and corrupt elites,” the government said.
“We are working faster and harder to break down the façade behind which those who support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s assassination campaign have been hiding for far too long,” said Prime Minister Boris Johnson. London has been criticized for years for not doing enough to stop the shady Russian money flowing into the UK.