Rose Gottemoeller, who served as NATO’s deputy secretary general between 2016 and 2019, expressed her fears after Ukraine retook much of Kharkiv province in less than a week. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he praised Ukraine for its successes but warned that the Kremlin could respond in “unpredictable” ways. “The momentum is clearly on the Ukrainian side at the moment,” Ms Gottemoeller said. “If you look at the maps, they are just amazing. the color blob showing Ukraine’s acquisitions over the last 48 to 72 hours is really quite remarkable.” The former NATO deputy chief warned at the time that Moscow could resort to the use of weapons of mass destruction in an attempt to capitulate Kyiv. “I fear that they will now strike back in really unpredictable ways and in ways that may even include weapons of mass destruction,” he said. While she believes the Kremlin will not launch intercontinental ballistic missiles, the senior former diplomat said it could order a demonstration nuclear attack. “He [Putin] he could play a nuclear demonstration strike, either a single strike over the Black Sea or perhaps a strike on a Ukrainian military installation to strike terror not only into the hearts of Ukrainians but also Ukraine’s global partners and allies.” This map shows the extent of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on September 11, 2022. (Press Association Images) The warning was backed by former Donald Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton, who said nuclear war with Russia was “much closer” than in the past. Appearing on WABC radio’s Cats at Night on Monday, the foreign policy hawk was asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin might make light of using nuclear weapons. “Where we are now after this success of Ukraine in the north is not that point,” he said. “But it’s a lot closer to it than we were before.” Bolton was Trump’s national security adviser between 2018 and 2019. Their warnings come as Ukraine continues to make good progress in northeastern Kharkiv and the southern regions of Kherson, according to Western military analysts. On the way to the recaptured strategic town of Balakliia, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malya said on Tuesday: “The goal is to liberate the Kharkiv region and beyond – all the territories held by the Russian Federation. “The fighting continues (in the Kharkiv region). It is still too early to say that full (Ukrainian) control has been established in the Kharkiv region,” he added. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again urged the West to speed up arms deliveries, calling on it to “strengthen cooperation to defeat Russian terrorism”.
