His former prime minister says Vladimir Putin is practicing “nuclear blackmail” with his new hypersonic missiles, and that his threats are a hoax.
Putin threatened to turn Kiev “into dust” with new Oreshnik bombs, saying multiple strikes would amount to a nuclear bomb.
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But Mikhail Kasyanov, who was prime minister during Putin's first presidency, said Putin was “engaging in nuclear blackmail.”
Kasyanov said that the tyrant is bluffing as he seeks concessions from the West.
He told Times Radio: “Any concession, a diplomatic concession, he (Putin) considers a weak link. That's why he increases the risks. He is actually carrying out nuclear blackmail.”
“This is exactly how he plays it. The current American administration, the current German government, are vulnerable to this blackmail and they are afraid of Mr. Putin.”
Kasyanov said that the use of nuclear weapons would not bring any success to Putin and would be condemned by countries, including allies such as China.
He said: “They are [the West] I don't understand that Mr. Putin is more afraid of nuclear weapons than they are.
“Because he understands what the response will be.
“Their response was not nuclear, but rather a regular, regular military response that would destroy the entire military infrastructure and Putin’s administration only physically.”
Volodymyr Zelensky responded to Putin's threats, saying that he is trying to escalate the war to prevent peace.
“He has no interest in ending this war,” Zelensky said tonight. “Moreover, Putin wants to prevent others from ending this war.”
He added, “His current threats to 'Oreshnik' are intended only to disrupt President Trump's efforts that are sure to follow his inauguration.”
Donald Trump has vowed to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine on “Day One”.
This would likely mean the United States negotiating directly with Russia, something the Biden administration was not prepared to do.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump would freeze the conflict in place and establish a demilitarized zone along the closed front line.
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Kiev will not join NATO for twenty years, but the United States will continue to arm Ukraine to the teeth to prevent Putin from invading it again.
It is still unclear who will guard the demilitarized zone, according to the sources, but it will not include American forces or an international body.
An anonymous member of Trump's team said: “We can do training and other support, but the barrel of the gun will be European.
“We are not sending American men and women to support peace in Ukraine. And we are not paying the price for it. Ask the Poles, Germans, British and French to do so.”
Trump appointed former Lt. Gen. Kellogg as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia and the military commander is expected to lead peace negotiations in 2025.
Kellogg hopes his plan to end the war will convince Putin to back down from his ambitions to reclaim Soviet territory.
Ukraine has received permission from the elusive Joe Biden to use US-supplied long-range missiles.
The use of ATACMS weapons was seen as a radical escalation of the war by the Kremlin as Putin issued the threat of nuclear retaliation.
Kellogg is expected to talk to both Kiev and Moscow when Trump enters the White House in January in search of solutions.
Trump's win means “higher risks but higher odds” of war in Ukraine
Oleksiy Goncharenko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, told Times Radio that Donald Trump's arrival in the White House means “greater risks but greater possibilities.”
The lawmaker said Trump's unpredictability could work to Ukraine's advantage because the president-elect “doesn't want his own Afghanistan” like Biden withdrawing near the start of his term.
When asked if, and how, Trump could end the war in Ukraine in just 24 hours, the representative said:
“Yes, I think he can, but the question is what the price is and how he sees it. I don’t know.
“From the Ukrainian perspective, I think Donald Trump certainly represents greater risks, but he also represents greater possibilities for Ukraine.
“Kamala Harris was more predictable, while Donald Trump was less predictable. What he will do and how it will end, we don't know at the moment.”
“But Donald Trump did talk in his victory speech about oil, which is very important.
“If Donald Trump lowers oil prices in the world, that could have a superlative effect more than anything else on the war in Ukraine and on the Russian regime in general. So this is just one example. I mean, it's not black and white.” white.
“I think Donald Trump, the big winner, especially now after this victory, doesn't want to be a loser.
He added, “He does not want to receive his Afghanistan as Biden received it at the beginning of his term.”
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