Scott Ritter: How NATO & Russia Came to the Edge of Nuclear War

The end of arms control treaties has led to a U.S. mindset focused on using nuclear weapons rather than controlling them. The U.S. is rapidly uploading warheads onto Minuteman III and Trident missiles now that New START caps are gone. U.S. conventional military deterrence is insufficient to defeat Iran, Russia, or China, creating pressure to use tactical nukes early.

Active planning is underway to use nuclear weapons to destroy Iran's nuclear threshold capacity in deep underground facilities.

A nuclear strike order would likely be rejected under international humanitarian law unless new intelligence confirms Iran's imminent threat.

The Kursk incursion was a NATO-planned invasion involving 70,000 to 80,000 troops, not a spontaneous Ukrainian action. Proposed U.S. and UK authorization of long-range strikes on Russian strategic depth would have triggered Russia's nuclear posture. The CIA briefed Congress that Russia was not bluffing about nuclear use and that there was a greater than 50% chance of nuclear war by late 2024.

The mood in Russia has shifted from hoping for a reset with Trump to viewing victory as the only outcome due to NATO's actions.

Russia has broken the code on Ukrainian drone operations, making it nearly impossible for Ukraine to launch drones without detection. Ukraine is using shopping malls and civilian trucks as drone factories and launch sites, making them legitimate military targets. Russia is winning by destroying Ukraine's agrarian economy and defense industrial base, not just through territorial gains.

NATO is provoking Russia to attack Europe to force U.S. re-engagement and save the alliance. Ukraine's plan to build a pantheon of heroes on sacred Orthodox soil guarantees the erasure of Ukrainian national identity. Russia feels no real pain from the war and is 100% committed to total victory against Ukraine and the collective West.

The Asian front, involving North Korea and Taiwan, poses a greater nuclear threat than the European theater. Any use of tactical nuclear weapons by the U.S. will inevitably escalate to a general nuclear exchange. Russia and China would be forced to use nuclear weapons to reestablish equilibrium if the U.S. strikes Iran.

The current U.S. political class lacks the healthy fear of nuclear war that drove Reagan to pursue arms reduction.

The belief that nuclear wars can be won is a dangerous fallacy that removes the deterrent against their use.