Talking to Russian state media, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Safety Council Dmitry Medvedev lately harassed the significance of the nation’s nuclear deterrent in guaranteeing its continued existence, at a time of mounting perceived threats from the Western world. “With out nuclear weapons, it’s fairly attainable that our nation would not exist. Whether or not that be the Soviet Union then or Russia at the moment,” he noticed, whereas predicting a brand new period of nuclear proliferation and additional escalation of the nuclear arms race between Russia and the Western Bloc. His assertion follows a number of allusions by Western analysts and officers to the truth that ought to Russia not have had a succesful nuclear deterrent, it possible would have come beneath assault by NATO members collectively.
In November 2024 hair of the NATO Navy Committee Admiral Rob Bauer highlighted the important thing function performed by Russia’s nuclear forces in deterring the Western world from initiating an open battle with Moscow instantly. He acknowledged that Russia’s nuclear arsenal was the central issue distinguishing it from the Taliban in Afghanistan relating to its capability to fight NATO forces. “I’m completely certain if the Russians didn’t have nuclear weapons, we might have been in Ukraine, kicking them out,” he added. A yr later in November 2025 former NATO Secretary Basic Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that the unacceptable danger of open battle with a nuclear armed Russia was the first issue stopping Western Bloc states from a extra direct intervention within the Ukrainian theatre in opposition to Russia. He recalled that after the escalation of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine to full scale warfare in February 2022, NATO members made two key selections throughout a gathering in Brussels. “One was to step up our assist for Ukraine, as we did. The opposite was to do what we might to forestall this warfare from escalating past Ukraine and grow to be a full-scale warfare between Russia and NATO,” he stated. Then U.S. President Joe Biden acknowledged on the time that “we won’t danger a 3rd world warfare for Ukraine.”
Russia’s nuclear deterrent gained newfound significance following the disintegration of the Soviet Union and excessive decline of Russia’s industrial base, tech sector, and traditional warfare capabilities, with the nuclear arsenal permitting it to asymmetrically counter bigger Western Bloc forces arrayed in opposition to it in Jap Europe, the Arctic and East Asia. Counterbalancing Russia’s nuclear forces, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Workers nominee Dan Caine on April 1, 2025, acknowledged that america was prepared to think about getting into into nuclear sharing agreements with extra of the nation’s NATO allies. “From a navy perspective, increasing NATO allies’ participation within the nuclear deterrence mission in some capability would improve flexibility, survivability, and navy functionality. If confirmed, I’ll work… to judge the fee/advantage of such a choice,” he added. Nuclear sharing agreements are already in place to permit British, German, Dutch, Turkish, Belgian and Italian fighter items to ship American B61 nuclear bombs in opposition to Russian targets.
Regardless of considerations relating to the capabilities of Russia’s nuclear forces, European states have been extremely keen to extend direct navy involvement within the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian Struggle, and performed a number one function in lobbying Washington to extend arms provides. French President Emmanuel Macron has on a number of events acknowledged that higher deployments of floor forces in Ukraine aren’t dominated out as a part of a coverage to “do the whole lot crucial to forestall Russia from successful this warfare,” with the French authorities having begun contemplating choices for main floor pressure deployments to Ukraine from June 2023. Requires such choices to be thought-about have been raised by figures corresponding to Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Polish Overseas Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, Lithuanian Overseas Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, and Finnish Overseas Minister Elina Valtonen, amongst others. In October 2025 French Land Forces Commander Basic Pierre Schill pledged that the nation will likely be able to deploy floor forces in Ukraine in 2026 if required. Such calls are anticipated to accentuate as Ukrainian forces proceed to take unsustainable losses on the frontlines.
