Such an attack, Ritter told Sputnik, might be regarded as a prelude to a “larger military incursion” meant to accomplish the US’ ultimate goal, “the strategic defeat of Russia.”
“Russia has made it clear that as a nuclear power, it not only will not, but cannot be defeated strategically - because if such a possibility manifested itself, Russia would be required to use its nuclear arsenal to ensure that outcome would never, never occur. This means general nuclear war,” he says.
Ritter also recalls the warnings made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov who questioned the US’ apparent belief that a Russia-NATO conflict would be limited to Europe and who said that a Russian retaliatory strike against the United States is possible if such a conflict were to break out.
“This is a very dangerous escalation, one that could rapidly create the conditions conducive for not limited nuclear conflict, but a general nuclear war, a global-ending global disaster, the destruction of the US, the destruction of Russia, the destruction of Europe, the destruction of the world. Why? Because the US and NATO will not be honest about the state of affairs in Ukraine today,” laments Ritter.
Ukraine has already “lost the war," he adds, and nothing that Kiev might do to try and “tip the scales” in its favor is going to change that.
“All it will do is provoke Russia into enlarging this conflict so that it's not just Ukraine that pays the price, but Europe, the US, and the rest of the world,” Ritter says. “Hopefully, the Ukrainian Defense Minister Andrei Yermak will be received by the US, and have their recommendations regarding using long-range weapons to strike deep inside Russia rejected. Because there's only one outcome if the US greenlights this escalation, and that is total nuclear war.”
MNA/PR