‘Putin cornered, may go nuclear’: Ex-CIA official on Russia-Ukraine struggle

As Russians try to flee the nation after the army call-up by President Vladimir Putin to help within the Ukraine struggle, former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer and US safety analyst Robert Baer believes Putin is cornered and the possibilities of him de-escalating the struggle are near zero.

In an interview with CNN, Rober Baer mentioned, “I think the chances of de-escalating are close to zero. He [Vladimir Putin] simply cannot give up so much ground, be seen to be losing, and continue as the leader of Russia. He is a strong man. He has portrayed himself for the last 20 years. He doesn’t give into dissent. He is cornered. He is completely cornered. I just cannot see him coming to the negotiating table and agreeing to leave Donbas or Luhansk. I don’t see him caving in.”

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According to the US official, the possibilities of Putin nuking Ukraine are going up each day as Ukraine retook areas in northeastern Ukraine in a lightning blitz two weeks in the past.

“Chances of him using tactical nuclear weapons are going up by the day. Russians, I know, are convinced he is going nuclear. I don’t know how well connected they are, but this threat — It was a threat initially, but the more trouble he is in, the more likely he is going to use nuclear weapons,” the CIA officer added.

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Things are getting out of hand, again at house, for Putin, as flights to nations like Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, and Dubai—which aren’t affected by the sanctions imposed by the West—offered out in a blink of a watch. Citizens are fleeing Russia, claiming the “war has come home” after the partial mobilisation ordered by Putin.

President Vladimir Putin accompanied final week’s announcement of the annexation referendums and the mobilisation with a barely veiled risk to make use of nuclear weapons to defend Russia’s new territorial claims.

In response, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan mentioned that the United States would reply “decisively” to any Russian use of nuclear weapons and had privately instructed Moscow “exactly what that would mean.”

(With inputs from Reuters)

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