(NewsNation) — It’s been more than 30 years since the end of the Cold War, but rising global tensions with international nuclear powers have some national security experts sounding the alarm on another potential era of nuclear concern.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly made threats to use nuclear weapons if anyone attacks Russian territory.
Joseph Cirincione, a national security expert and member of the Council on Foreign Affairs, said he doesn’t see any prospects for future negotiations in the months ahead between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and that turning to Iran for the kamikaze drone is an act of desperation.
“This is an act of desperation. Putin is losing this war,” Cirincione said. “So, he’s turned to a tactic that might work: Terrorize and demoralize the population. But it’s not working to terrorize them or diminish the Ukrainian fighting spirit, which is remarkable.”
However, Cirincione said that Russia is knocking out key power plants around Ukraine, which could be painful for Ukrainians in the months ahead. He explained that Iran, “one of the most repressive regimes in the world, is now physically, materially aiding the leading autocratic, repressive regime in the world: Vladimir Putin’s Russia.”
Cirincione said these actions are war crimes, and will require a new response from the West.
“We have to help Ukraine rebuild before the winter months come in. I think electric power plants could become the new javelins, the new HIMARs, what Ukraine really needs to get through the winter months,” he said.
Cirincione believes the White House needs to provide Ukraine with more advanced weapons.
“And I say this as somebody who supports a negotiated solution, who supports a peaceful resolution to this war. But the only way to get that is to defeat Vladimir Putin on the battlefield. And for that, the Ukrainians need the longer-range weapons they’ve been asking for,” he said.
In his book, “Nuclear Nightmares: Securing the World Before It Is Too Late,” Circincione writes that he doesn’t believe the Cold War ended with the threat of nuclear war. He said that by not finishing the job of getting rid of nuclear weapons, and leaving them in the hands of Putin, the Cold War never really ended.
“I would say we’re at a similar moment here. It’s different. It’s not that exact kind of exchange. But we are closer to the intentional use of nuclear weapons now than we’ve been at any moment since (the Cuban Missile Crisis) 60 years ago. That’s why the stakes are so high,” he said.