Editorial Board
Putin’s Nuclear Threats Demand a Response
By moving nuclear weapons into Belarus, Russia is pressuring NATO to drop support for Ukraine. The West shouldn’t back down.
Don’t give in to their blackmail.
Photographer: Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP/Getty Images
How should the West respond to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement last week that he’s begun moving nuclear weapons into Belarus, within striking distance of Ukraine?
So far, the US and its allies have reacted warily, hoping to avoid escalation. Their caution is understandable. Yet failing to respond to such a provocation is likely only to embolden Russia — and hence to make the conflict all the more difficult to resolve.