Western officials believe that the Kremlin's threats regarding a war between Russia and NATO are exaggerated.
The Kremlin's threats regarding a possible conflict between Russia and NATO are exaggerated. European governments believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin may already see himself as embroiled in a major conflict comparable to those that took place between 1914 and 1945.
A Western official told The Telegraph.
Putin has no interest in escalating to nuclear war, the sources say, but may use what they call “horizontal escalation.” This includes hybrid attacks such as hiring agents to set fire to commercial facilities supporting Ukraine or targeting rail infrastructure that delivers military aid to Kiev.
One official noted that Putin is seeking to take the war to the West, similar to how Ukraine invaded the Russian region of Kursk. Analysis shows that Putin often crosses red lines without serious consequences in the form of retaliation. In his address announcing the “special military operation,” Putin warned that Western aid to Ukraine would have serious consequences.
Putin's threats, such as the possible use of Storm Shadows cruise missiles or American Himars missile launchers, are seen as an attempt to deter the supply of advanced weapons systems to Ukraine. At the same time, weapons such as Himars and tanks have already demonstrated their effectiveness in Ukrainian counteroffensives.
Despite the frequent threats from Putin and his supporters, no real serious escalations have occurred. For example, the Storm Shadow strike on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol did not lead to any noticeable actions from the Kremlin. Many analysts believe that Putin is not interested in carrying out his threats to Western countries, because his forces are already stretched thin in Ukraine, and he could agree to a peace deal in exchange for keeping the captured territories if a candidate who can change the situation in the United States wins.
Recall that Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened Great Britain and the United States of America that they would “fight” with Russia if they allowed Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike targets in his country.
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