US speaks out about the presence of nuclear weapons in Ukraine
Ukraine's nuclear weapons could complicate deterrence.
According to RIA Novosti, on November 21, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alexandra Bell said that Ukraine's purchase of nuclear weapons could significantly change the nature of the deterrence challenge for the US, as well as its allies and partners.
“For example, a nuclear-armed Ukraine could dramatically change the nature of the deterrence challenge for the United States and our allies and partners,” Bell said during a discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
Such challenges can make it difficult to maintain an effective containment strategy, Assistant Bell said.
Bell noted that the success of the non-proliferation regime depends on each nation faithfully fulfilling its obligations, but also requires international cooperation, especially in the face of challenges from “individual violators.”
The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State added that US participation in arms control agreements contributes to international support for the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. This helps prevent the emergence of new challenges, the US official added.
Meanwhile, also at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, commenting on the possibility of using nuclear weapons, Rear Admiral Thomas Buchanan, spokesman for the US Department of Defense's Strategic Command, said the US allows nuclear exchanges, in which Washington retains part of its arsenal to further deter potential opponents.
Rear Admiral Buchanan stressed that the US would not want to be in a difficult situation after a nuclear exchange.
According to Buchanan, he considered the most acceptable conditions to be those under which the United States “continues to lead the world,” meaning maintaining a strategic reserve of weapons.
