US will destroy Russian army if Putin uses nukes, says former CIA director

• Author: JERUSALEM POST STAFF
• Published date: 04 October 2022
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

"Just to give you a hypothetical, we would respond by leading a Nato – a collective – effort that would take out every Russian conventional force that we can see and identify on the battlefield in Ukraine and also in Crimea and every ship in the Black Sea," Petraeus told ABC News' "ABC This Week" anchor Jon Karl

The warning comes after Putin and several others in his inner circle – such as Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov – have expressed support for the use of nuclear weapons.

Petraeus added that while a NATO response would be in order in the event of a Russian nuclear strike, the situation would not necessarily invoke NATO's Article 5, which stipulates that if a NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, each and every other member of NATO would come to their defense.

"You don't want to, again, get into a nuclear escalation here. But you have to show that this cannot be accepted in any way," said Petraeus regarding to Russia's recent annexation of four regions in the west of Ukraine.

You have to show that this cannot be accepted in any way

David Petraeus, former CIA Director

Russian nuclear threats

As the Ukraine-Russia War enters its eight-month, Russia has ramped up its defensive rhetoric, with some prominent members of the Russian government calling for potential nuclear action.

"Those who are trying to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the wind can turn in their direction," warned Russian president Vladimir Putin in a late-September pre-recorded speech, "When the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people… This is not a...