A U.S. State Department official and two Norwegian defense-focused politicians are concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin might deploy a nuclear weapon in response to Ukraine’s planned spring counteroffensive, set to begin in weeks.
The Ukrainian military plans to go on the offensive as soon as Western tanks and long-range rockets arrive, which could be as soon as April, according to Kyiv’s minister of internal affairs Anton Gerashchenko. Its primary regional target will be Russian-occupied Crimea, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to take back on Feb. 26.
Speaking at the Norwegian Embassy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Douglas Jones and Norwegian Parliament member Åsmund Aukrust told The Epoch Times there is a real possibility of nuclear escalation in Ukraine and that both NATO members are concerned….