Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Tensions between Russia and NATO have escalated further after a stark warning from Belgium’s defence minister, who said any nuclear strike on the alliance would lead to the destruction of Moscow.
In an interview with Belgian newspaper, De morgen, Belgian defence minister Theo Francken dismissed Vladimir Putin’s nuclear posturing, insisting that NATO’s strength and unity remain unwavering.
Francken told the paper, that he was not intimidated by Russia’s nuclear rhetoric and urged the West to continue backing Ukraine.
He also voiced confidence in U.S. President Donald Trump’s support for NATO and Article 5, the alliance’s collective defence clause, despite Trump’s past statements questioning the commitment to countries that fail to meet spending targets.
As the war in Ukraine grinds on, fears have grown that Moscow may view the supply of U.S. Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv as a “red line.” Russia has warned that such deliveries would provoke a major escalation.
Defying Putin’s red lines
Francken argued that NATO must not yield to Russia’s threats.
“Putin said the same thing when Finland and Sweden joined NATO, when we supplied tanks, missiles, F-16s… The lesson is that we mustn’t allow ourselves to be threatened,” he told De Morgen.
He added that Western hesitation early in the war had only prolonged the conflict.
According to the minister, NATO’s recent assertiveness has exposed the emptiness of Moscow’s warnings, recalling how Putin has again and again threatened with fire and brimstone – only for nothing to happen, when NATO crossed the alleged red line.
“He knows: If I use nuclear weapons, they’ll wipe Moscow off the map. Then the end of the world will be near,” Fracken told De Morgen.
No fear of retaliation
When asked whether he feared Russia might launch a non-nuclear strike on Brussels, Francken replied that he was unconcerned
If such an attack were to happen, he has no doubt that NATO would retaliate and simply “flatten Moscow”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has repeatadly told reporters that the potential delivery of U.S. Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine would mark a “serious escalation.”
He has described the situation as “a very dramatic moment,” warning that tensions were rising “from all sides.”
Ukraine’s hopes for leverage
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the United States to provide long-range missiles, saying their range of over 1,500 miles could shift the balance of the war and push Moscow to negotiate.
Despite increasing frustration with Putin, Trump has so far denied supplying the weapons.
Sources: De Morgen, Reuters, BBC, AP
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation
