With Russians gaining an upper hand on the battlefield and Ukraine forced to retreat from many frontiers some Western nations are urging a potentially dangerous course of action. meanwhile, The United States is shifting its stance on how Ukraine should use their weapons in the war with no sign of the war coming to a halt and Russia making constant gains in Ukraine. Watch in for more details!

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently mentioned that Washington was ready to discuss the possibility of using US weapons for attacking targets deep in the Russian territory, with Kiev . Soon afterwards, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said, that Kiev is taking provocative actions aimed at embroiling the United States and other NATO members into a head-on collision with Russia. WION's Shivan Chanana discusses with Amb. Volker Stanzel, Former German Ambassador to China and Japan, Senior Distinguished Fellow at SWP (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik)

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Russia's military launched maneuvers with tactical nuclear weapons on Tuesday, as declared by Russian authorities earlier this month in an apparent warning to senior Western officials who have warned about the likelihood of wider engagement in the Ukrainian conflict.

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Russia on Tuesday (May 21) announced that its forces have started the first stage of exercises near Ukraine ordered by President Vladimir Putin to simulate preparation for the launch of tactical nuclear weapons, in what Moscow said was a response to Western “threats”.&nbsp;

<h2>Russia begins drills</h2>

Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, Moscow has repeatedly made veiled threats to use nuclear weapons and boasted about the readiness of its arsenal if it senses an existential threat.

WATCH |&nbsp;Moscow holds nuke drills near Ukraine

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Russia has linked the recent drills to what it calls “militant statements” by Western officials, including the remarks made by French President Emmanuel Macron who floated the possibility of sending European troops to fight Moscow in Ukraine.&nbsp;

The Russian defence ministry said that the drills are taking place in the Southern Military District, which borders and includes parts of Ukraine that Moscow has claimed to annex amid the ongoing war. However, the specific location of the drills remained unclear.&nbsp;

A report by Reuters citing nuclear analysts said that the exercises are designed as a warning signal by Putin to deter the West from getting more involved in the war in Ukraine.&nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-has-no-plans-of-capturing-ukraines-kharkiv-forces-creating-buffer-zone-putin-722547">Russia has no plans of capturing Ukraine's Kharkiv, forces creating 'buffer zone': Putin</a>

The drills are designed to test “the readiness of personnel and equipment of non-strategic nuclear weapons combat units to respond and to unconditionally ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state,” said the Russian defence ministry.&nbsp;

It added that they were a “response to provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials.”&nbsp;

The ministry also said that the first stage of the drills involved Iskander and Kinzhal missiles. The exercise also involves Belarus, where Russia said that it had deployed tactical nuclear weapons last year, a development that both Minsk and Moscow confirmed.&nbsp;

<h2>What were the ‘militant statements’?</h2>

Russian officials pointed to statements by the French president about NATO countries not ruling out the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine as well as a statement by British Foreign Minister David Cameron who said Kyiv had the right to use weapons provided by the United Kingdom to strike targets inside the Russian territory.

Russia also cited the provision of long-range British, French and United States ATACMS missiles to Kyiv.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-claims-to-have-captured-another-village-in-kharkiv-region-ukraine-struggles-on-eastern-front-722910">Russia claims to have captured another village in Kharkiv region</a>

“The exercises are, obviously, a signal in response to discussion of NATO countries’ troops in Ukraine. The most important features are advance announcement and visibility,” Nikolai Sokov, a former Soviet and Russian arms control official, told Reuters.

He also said that the Western militaries will be watching the drills closely in an attempt to draw conclusions about how much warning time they would have before Russia deploys them for real, he added.&nbsp;

Earlier this month, the Russian foreign ministry had said that the drills should send a “sobering signal” to the West and its “puppets” in Ukraine.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Russia on Tuesday (May 21) announced that its forces have started the first stage of exercises near Ukraine ordered by President Vladimir Putin to simulate preparation for the launch of tactical nuclear weapons, in what Moscow said was a response to Western “threats”.

Russia on Tuesday (May 21) announced that its forces have started the first stage of exercises near Ukraine ordered by President Vladimir Putin to simulate preparation for the launch of tactical nuclear weapons, in what Moscow said was a response to Western “threats”. Russia begins drills Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, Moscow has repeatedly made veiled threats to use nuclear weapons and boasted about the readiness of its arsenal if it senses an existential threat. WATCH | Moscow holds nuke drills near Ukraine Russia has linked the recent drills to what it calls “militant statements” by Western officials, including the remarks made by French President Emmanuel Macron who floated the possibility of sending European troops to fight Moscow in Ukraine. The Russian defence ministry said that the drills are taking place in the Southern Military District, which borders and includes parts of Ukraine that Moscow has claimed to annex amid the ongoing war. However, the specific location of the drills remained unclear. A report by Reuters citing nuclear analysts said that the exercises are designed as a warning signal by Putin to deter the West from getting more involved in the war in Ukraine. Also Read | Russia has no plans of capturing Ukraine's Kharkiv, forces creating 'buffer zone': Putin The drills are designed to test “the readiness of personnel and equipment of non-strategic nuclear weapons combat units to respond and to unconditionally ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state,” said the Russian defence ministry. It added that they were a “response to provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials.” The ministry also said that the first stage of the drills involved Iskander and Kinzhal missiles. The exercise also involves Belarus, where Russia said that it had deployed tactical nuclear weapons last year, a development that both Minsk and Moscow confirmed. What were the ‘militant statements’? Russian officials pointed to statements by the French president about NATO countries not ruling out the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine as well as a statement by British Foreign Minister David Cameron who said Kyiv had the right to use weapons provided by the United Kingdom to strike targets inside the Russian territory. Russia also cited the provision of long-range British, French and United States ATACMS missiles to Kyiv. Also Read | Russia claims to have captured another village in Kharkiv region “The exercises are, obviously, a signal in response to discussion of NATO countries’ troops in Ukraine. The most important features are advance announcement and visibility,” Nikolai Sokov, a former Soviet and Russian arms control official, told Reuters. He also said that the Western militaries will be watching the drills closely in an attempt to draw conclusions about how much warning time they would have before Russia deploys them for real, he added. Earlier this month, the Russian foreign ministry had said that the drills should send a “sobering signal” to the West and its “puppets” in Ukraine. (With inputs from agencies)

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