Ukrainian Nukes: UK and France Trying to Drag US Into Nuclear Conflict With Russia

Ukrainian Nukes: UK and France Trying to Drag US Into Nuclear Conflict With Russia

Sputnik

The UK and France are preparing to hand Ukraine a nuclear bomb to strengthen its leverage in forcing more favorable terms to end the conflict, according to Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

"France and the UK are likely acting with the goal of pulling the US more directly into the situation," military analyst Alexei Leonkov, editor of Arsenal of the Fatherland, tells Sputnik. "After all, both countries’ nuclear arsenals operate under US oversight and coordination." 

One option under consideration is France’s compact TN75 warhead, designed for the M51.1 submarine-launched ballistic missile 

Western powers are working to make Ukrainian nuclear capabilities look homegrown, with a “dirty bomb” also on the table 

UK and France are fully aware that they would be flagrantly violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, according to the SVR

"Efforts to secretly develop nuclear weapons for Ukraine, bypassing Moscow, began even before the start of the special military operation—with the UK putting in significant effort. The special military operation was launched to neutralize this threat," Leonkov notes.

Nuclear Threat 

The TN75 has a yield of 100 kilotons — five times that of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, the pundit points out, adding that Ukraine's Flamingo cruise missiles, developed by the UK, could potentially carry a nuclear warhead. 

Both a dirty bomb and warhead from France’s M51.2 ballistic missile pose a direct nuclear threat to Russia—and the risk of actual use by Ukraine is high 

Russia’s doctrine covers nuclear-capable states deploying atomic weapons in a non-nuclear country threatening Russia. In such a case, the conflict could become continental, the pundit warns

France and the UK aim to provoke Russia, then escape unscathed, placing the blame for any catastrophe on the US, according to the expert.

"This is a desperate attempt to drag the US into a direct—and nuclear—conflict with Russia by any means," Leonkov says. "We are now teetering on the edge of what was once called the Caribbean Crisis [Cuban Missile Crisis]."

Moscow will respond if NATO gives nukes to ‘Nazi regime in Kiev’

Moscow Warns Of 'Direct Conflict' Between Nuclear Powers

Moscow warns of ‘direct conflict’ between nuclear powers

RT

Any attempt to provide Ukraine with nuclear capabilities would be met with a “resolute response” from Russia and risks a “direct military conflict between nuclear powers,”Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

Zakharova made the remarks on Tuesday, commenting on claims made by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) earlier in the day. It alleged that London and Paris have been considering ways to equip Ukraine with nuclear capabilities, either by providing it with components to build dirty bombs or supplying it with warheads from their own stocks.  

The potential “covert transfer of relevant European-made components, equipment, and technologies to Ukraine” comes along with preparations for an information campaign to portray the nuclear device as domestically developed in Ukraine.

The alleged intentions of Paris and London bear grave risks for global security and would “inevitably be met with a resolute response” from Russia, Zakharova said in a statement. 

“We have repeatedly stated that any attempts to revisit Ukraine’s non-nuclear status, let alone to enable the deeply anti-Russian Kiev regime to obtain nuclear weapons, are categorically unacceptable,” she said. “We once again warn of the risks of direct military conflict between nuclear powers – and, consequently, of its potentially catastrophic consequences.” 

The allegations raised by the SVR “fall upon fertile ground,” Zakharova said, citing repeated belligerent remarks by the Ukrainian leadership.

“Evidence of Kiev’s nuclear ambitions is plentiful. One need only recall Vladimir Zelensky’s remarks at the 2022 Munich Security Conference, in which he expressed readiness to reconsider Ukraine’s non-nuclear status, as well as his subsequent, equally provocative statements on the matter,” she stated.

The Ukrainian leadership has repeatedly claimed that it gave up its nuclear arsenal in the early 1990s in exchange for security guarantees. In reality, the arsenal was mere leftovers of the Soviet-era nuclear stockpile, which ended up in Ukraine after the collapse of the USSR. The nuclear weapons in question remained under the control of Russia, which is the only legal successor of the Soviet Union.

Iran Strikes Covert Missile Deal With Moscow In Backchannel Rearmament

Iran Strikes Covert Missile Deal With Moscow In Backchannel Rearmament

TYLER DURDEN

Iran is squarely in the Trump administration's crosshairs, and both Russia and China are to some degree coming to Tehran's aid with some significant arms deals meant to potentially stave off future attack.

Most significantly, the Financial Times is reporting that Russia will supply the Iranians with thousands of advanced shoulder-fired missiles in a deal worth 500 million Euros.

It's said to be part of a broader effort to rebuild Iran's air defenses, which were heavily destroyed and retarded by Israeli-US airstrikes in the last June war. Iran is also greatly limited given years of US-led sanctions targeting its defense and industrial sectors.

Though only coming to light this past weekend, the agreement was inked in Moscow in December, and commits Russia to deliver 500 "Verba" launch units and 2,500 "9M336" missiles over three years.

FT says it reviewed leaked Russian documents the UK publication obtained, which revealed the secretive deal for the Russian anti-air defenses.

The agreement was reportedly negotiated between Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and the Moscow representative of Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), with for example the the 9M336 missiles going for €170,000 per unit.

As for the Verba systems, for Moscow they represent a relatively low-cost way to shore up Iran's air defenses, bolstering Tehran's deterrent posture without meaningfully draining Russia's own missile inventories, badly needed for operations in Ukraine and as readiness for some potential future engagement with NATO.

Last week, Russian naval power was on rare display near Iran, cooperating in planned joint naval drills with the Iranian Navy and IRGC units, in a bit of muscle-flexing as the Pentagon builds up its forces in the Mideast region.

F-22 jets deploy at Israeli Air Force base as US builds up forces for Iran strike

F-22 jets deploy at Israeli Air Force base as US builds up forces for Iran strike

Emanuel Fabian

Lazar Berman

Israeli officials reportedly believe US attack is ‘unavoidable’; Iran said to okay counterproposal for next round of nuclear talks on Thursday as IRGC holds drills on Iran’s coast

American F-22 stealth fighter jets were deployed at an Israeli Air Force base in southern Israel on Tuesday, as part of the United States’s massive buildup of military forces in the Middle East, The Times of Israel has learned.

The jets were stationed at an airbase in the United Kingdom in recent days, according to open-source flight tracking data and aircraft spotters, and were seen taking off earlier on Tuesday.

Their arrival in Israel is another step in the amassing of American aircraft in the region as tensions between Iran and the US threaten to erupt into war.

Negotiations between the two countries over the Iranian nuclear program are ongoing, and the sides are due to meet on Thursday in Geneva. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has reportedly gotten the green light for a counterproposal to submit to the American negotiating team.

But US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened that he will attack Iran if those talks fail. Iran has vowed to strike Israel and US targets in the region in response.

Israeli officials are said to believe that a US strike is inevitable, and top military brass from the two countries have reportedly been in contact. One official quoted by Channel 12 news on Tuesday said that a diplomatic resolution to the conflict would be the “surprise of the year.”

Against that backdrop, a total of 12 F-22s were seen taking off from Royal Air Force Lakenheath in England

The F-22, operated exclusively by the US Air Force, is the world’s most advanced air-superiority fighter, built for unmatched speed, maneuverability, and stealth in air-to-air combat.

The deployment of US fighter jets at Israeli airbases for operational activities — rather than for joint training with the IAF — is extremely rare.

In total, dozens of fighter jets — including F-35s, F-22s, F-15s, and F-16s — have been spotted heading to the Middle East in recent days by the Military Air Tracking Alliance, a team of about 30 open-source analysts that routinely analyzes military and government flight activity.

The team says it’s also tracked dozens of accompanying fuel tankers, as well as hundreds of cargo flights, heading into the region since mid-February. On Monday, American refueler and cargo planes were spotted at Ben Gurion Airport.

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BREAKING: UK & France Reportedly Plan to Give Ukraine Nuclear Weapons – Medvedev’s Chilling Reply Signals Global Disaster

BREAKING: UK & France Reportedly Plan to Give Ukraine Nuclear Weapons – Medvedev’s Chilling Reply Signals Global Disaster

Mark Van der Veen

Russian state media is reporting a bombshell intelligence claim that the United Kingdom and France are preparing to arm Ukraine with nuclear weapons — or at least the components and fissile material needed to make it appear as if Ukraine developed a nuclear capability on its own. 

According to the SVR (Russia’s foreign intelligence service), the goal is to give Zelenskyy leverage for a “favorable” peace deal by creating the perception that Ukraine possesses nuclear weapons, possibly including a dirty bomb. This would be a direct transfer of nuclear technology to a country actively at war with Russia.

The response from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was immediate and chilling. He warned that Russia will use “any, including non-strategic nuclear weapons,” against targets in Ukraine that pose a threat to Russia — and if necessary, against the supplier countries (UK and France) that become accomplices in a nuclear conflict. 

Medvedev stated: “Information from the SVR about France and Britain’s intention to transfer nuclear technologies to the Kiev Nazi regime radically changes the situation… This is a direct transfer of nuclear weapons to a warring country. 

There can’t be the slightest doubt that under such circumstances, Russia will have to use any, including non-strategic nuclear weapons, against targets in Ukraine that pose a threat to our country. And if necessary, against the supplier countries that become accomplices in a nuclear conflict with Russia. This is the symmetrical response to which the Russian Federation has the right.”

This is an extremely dangerous escalation. If true, the UK and France would be crossing a nuclear red line by arming a combatant nation with weapons of mass destruction technology during an active war with a nuclear superpower. Medvedev’s threat to potentially strike supplier countries directly raises the specter of a wider European or even global conflict. Russia has already warned repeatedly that it considers deep involvement by NATO countries as crossing into direct war.

Medvedev’s language is deliberately harsh and leaves little room for misinterpretation. Russia views this as an existential threat and is signaling it will respond with overwhelming force, including tactical nuclear weapons if necessary. The world is now watching to see if London and Paris are actually considering such a step or if this is Russian disinformation designed to deter further Western involvement.

This development should terrify every rational person. Arming Ukraine with nuclear weapons would not bring peace — it would dramatically increase the risk of nuclear war. The West has already poured hundreds of billions into this conflict with little to show for it except dead soldiers and a devastated region. Escalating to the nuclear level would be catastrophic.