US intelligence has assessed that there is no credible risk of Russia resorting to nuclear weapons, despite heightened threats following the decision to allow Ukraine to target deep within Russian territory using Western weapons, Reuters reports.
Five sources familiar with the intelligence findings state that the Kremlin is expected to continue its sabotage operations against facilities in Europe rather than escalate to nuclear warfare.
This confidence in the unlikelihood of a nuclear response was a key factor in President Joe Biden’s administration resolving internal debates and approving the use of ATACMS against Russian military targets.
The assessment remained unchanged even after Russia employed the Kedr missile (referred to as Oreshnik in Russian propaganda), which was purportedly intended to “warn Washington and its European allies.”