Scoville Fellow Marlena Broeker wrote an op-ed in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists about how the United States can learn from allies like Sweden, Finland, and Poland on confronting Russian nuclear threats in Ukraine.
From the minute Russia put its nuclear forces on high alert after invading Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has sought to limit NATO’s military assistance to Ukraine by turning decisions on Western support into questions about the potential for nuclear escalation. Three-plus years into the war, Washington’s struggle to support Ukraine in the face of Russian nuclear blackmail has limited Ukraine’s ability to defend itself. It has also encouraged the use of nuclear coercion as a tool of conventional war.
During the Trump administration, financial support for Ukraine has fluctuated, and questions remain about future assistance and a possible peace deal negotiated by the United States. Meanwhile, countries on NATO’s eastern flank have taken a different approach. Despite being on Russia’s doorstep and at risk from nuclear and conventional escalation, Sweden, Finland, and Poland used Russian threats to inform their support of Ukraine rather than condition it. Read more
