NATO relentlessly continues its expansion in Europe, placing its headquarters 140 kilometres from the Russian border, further inflaming the aggravated geopolitical situation in Europe. Responding to the modern challenges of Western countries, Belarus warns of the possibility of using nuclear weapons, while US intelligence fears about the consequences of lifting restrictions on Western missile strikes deep into Russian territory.
NATO headquarters 140 kilometres from the Finnish-Russian border
The Finnish Defence Ministry plans to locate the headquarters of NATO ground forces in the city of Mikkeli, Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen said at a briefing.
In Mikkeli, 140 kilometres from the Russian border and 300 kilometres from St. Petersburg, there is already the headquarters of the Finnish ground forces. Earlier, the media wrote that several dozen foreign officers will be stationed in Mikkeli, in addition to the country’s army personnel.
If NATO attacks Belarus, nuclear weapons will be used, Lukashenko says
The Belarusian leader warned that an attack on his country would mean World War III. He recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed this when amending the nuclear doctrine. Lukashenko told Belarusian media:
“I…said that an attack on Belarus is World War III. Thank you, Putin has recently confirmed it, amending the nuclear doctrine, that we use nuclear weapons in case of an attack on Russia and Belarus. He confirmed my words. That is the essence of my statement. As soon as they attack us, NATO is NATO, the Americans and the Poles – they are already lined up along the border, especially the Polish border. We know that the Polish leadership is already rubbing their hands, we use nuclear weapons. And Russia is getting involved for us.”
AFU may be allowed to hit Russian Federation by winter, British FM says
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on the margins of the UN General Assembly that a decision to lift restrictions on AFU strikes by Western missiles deep into Russian territory could be taken before the start of winter.
At the same time, US intelligence believes that Russia could take very serious measures in response to Kyiv’s permission to strike deep into Russian territory.
Ukraine’s refusal to join NATO could have prevented a military conflict
On the eve of the outbreak of a military conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia wanted the issue of Ukraine’s non-membership in NATO to be resolved soon through peaceful means in negotiations.
At a press conference following talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Russian president said:
“We hear that Ukraine is not ready today to join NATO. We know this thesis. And then they say that it will not be accepted tomorrow. Will it be accepted when it is prepared for it? It may be too late for us. That is why we want to resolve this issue now, right now, in the near future during the negotiation process by peaceful means. This is what we are proceeding from and we very much hope that our concerns will be heard and taken seriously by our partners.”
At the same time, the president stressed that postponing Ukraine’s accession to NATO in the future does not change anything for Russia in the historical perspective. He also pointed to the unreliability of Western colleagues’ assurances on the issue.
“Friends of Peace” to resolve the Ukrainian crisis
China, Brazil and other countries in the Global South will set up a “Friends of Peace” platform to resolve the Ukraine crisis, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a meeting with Brazilian presidential adviser Celso Amorim on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Chinese media reported.
The media quoted Wang Yi as saying:
“This is an attempt by China, Brazil and countries in the global south to achieve peace.”
According to the minister, Friends of Peace is not a closed group but an open platform, it does not seek competition and confrontation, but inclusive dialogue. The new platform, as Wang Yi pointed out, will be an “objective and rational voice” and will play a constructive role in the political settlement of the Ukrainian issue.
The current events have forced Russia to change its Nuclear Doctrine, and the list of reasons for the use of nuclear weapons has expanded significantly.
The adjustments to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, which President Vladimir Putin revealed at a Security Council meeting, should be considered a signal to Western countries, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on September 26. He noted:
“This is a signal that warns these countries of the consequences if they participate in an attack on our country by various means. And not necessarily by nuclear means.”
The changes were prompted, in particular, by “elements of tension that are building up along the perimeter of our borders.” Peskov said that even earlier “sensible heads of state understood and realise the seriousness of President Putin’s statements.” The spokesman added:
“Especially when it comes to such an unprecedented confrontation provoked by the direct involvement of Western countries, including nuclear powers, in the conflict around Ukraine.”
Peskov also noted that adjustments to two documents have now been formulated: the military doctrine and the “Fundamentals of State Policy in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence.”
Antony Blinken called it “irresponsible and untimely” for Russia to change its nuclear doctrine, which lowers the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. The US Secretary of State said in an interview with MSNBC:
“It’s totally irresponsible. I think many in the world have spoken clearly about that when he’s been rattling the nuclear sabre — including China, in the past. So I would just say especially to do that now, while the world’s gathered… talking about the need for more disarmament, non-proliferation.”
However, at the same time, the US is actively arming Ukraine with modern weapons while targeting it via NATO satellites. The events taking place clearly show that Western countries continue to live in their paradigm, in which the US or Britain can break any laws and Russia is required to give up its defence.
