Kathrine Frich
With the last major US-Russia nuclear arms control framework now expired, global security experts warn the world is entering a more uncertain era.
The end of New START has removed the final binding limits on the two largest nuclear arsenals, fuelling concerns that rhetoric and brinkmanship could more easily spiral into escalation.
Against that backdrop, fresh nuclear threats from Moscow are raising tensions once again as the war in Ukraine drags into its fourth year.
Security climate hardens
As diplomatic guardrails weaken, senior Kremlin figures are sharpening their language over Western support for Kyiv.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s objectives in Ukraine remain unmet, insisting Moscow still seeks full control over eastern regions to ensure what he described as the security of people living there.
While claiming Russia remains open to political and diplomatic negotiations, Peskov stressed that the “special military operation” will continue.
“We continue our efforts to achieve peace, our position is clear and consistent. Now everything depends on the actions of the Kiev regime,” he said, adding that no date has been set for further talks.
He also portrayed the conflict as a broader confrontation with the West, accusing the United States and European nations of direct involvement through military backing of Ukraine.
Medvedev escalates warning
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, issued a more direct threat aimed at Britain and France.
He claimed that if London or Paris were to supply Ukraine with nuclear weapons or related technologies, it would “radically change the situation” and violate the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Medvedev warned that Russia could respond with non-strategic nuclear weapons, not only against targets in Ukraine but also against what he described as “supplier countries” that would become participants in a nuclear conflict.
The comments followed a statement by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) alleging that Britain and France were “actively working” to transfer nuclear capabilities to Ukraine, including a possible French TN75 warhead. No evidence was presented publicly.
Claims dismissed
The British government rejected the allegation outright, calling it “a clear attempt by Vladimir Putin to divert attention from his brutal actions in Ukraine.”
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “There is no truth to these allegations.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has argued that Moscow has failed to achieve its strategic goals and has not broken Ukrainian resistance.
He has also cautioned that repeated nuclear threats aimed at NATO countries increase the risk of wider confrontation.
The conflict, initially described by the Kremlin as a limited operation, has evolved into a prolonged and costly war, with Western military support for Ukraine continuing despite Moscow’s increasingly forceful rhetoric.
Sources: Russian Foreign Intelligence Service; La.lv
