How Likely Is A Nuclear War In Europe? Russian Officials Make Threats Amid Risk Of NATO Expansion

Russian officials have taken a step towards threatening nuclear war, warning that if Sweden and Finland join NATO, Russia will place nuclear weapons in the Baltic region.

Russian officials have previously stated that if Russia's existence or territory is threatened, nuclear weapons are an option.

Keeping nuclear weapons in the Baltic — specifically in Russian-controlled Kaliningrad, which sits between Poland and Lithuania — as Russian officials have recently threatened, would make it easier for Russia to target Western countries.

However, threats like these are not uncommon from Russia and nuclear weapons have previously been in the region.

Sweden and Finland are near Baltic countries and have held onto neutrality for a long time, but since have reconsidered their positions after Russia invaded Ukraine. Finland also shares an 830-mile border with Russia and currently around half of the world's nuclear weapons are owned by Russia.

Despite the threats of nuclear war, events like the Cuban Missile crisis, North Korean aggression, and Russian threats, governments have not used nuclear weapons during a war since World War II. IN 1945, the U.S. dropped bombs on two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in the first and only time these weapons were used during a war.

Even with the recent heightening of Russian aggression, multiple people have been quick to say that Russian President Vladimir Putin is bluffing, that nuclear war is not in his best interest.

"This threat of escalation . . . is cheap talk. Putin is bluffing. He is deliberately allowing the U.S. intelligence community to discover data about escalation in order to scare us away from helping Ukrainians win," Michael McFaul wrote in an opinion column for the Washington Post.

McFaul argues that the U.S. and Western allies are not doing more to help Ukraine, including providing certain weapons out of fear of Russian escalation. He believes they should be doing more to ensure Ukraine's victory and should ignore Putin's threats.

"Putin is angry and unhinged, but not suicidal," he added.

NATO Secretary-General has called Putin's threats of escalation "nuclear saber-rattling."

"Nuclear war can not be won and it could never be fought," he said.

While the chances are slim of a nuclear war, there have been growing concerns of tensions escalating between Russia and the West. There have also been increased worries about Putin's mental and emotional state in recent months, while Putin’s spokesperson has not ruled out Russia using nuclear weapons.

"The world is always on a hair-trigger for nuclear war," Brian Toon, professor of atmospheric and space physics and atmospheric and oceanic sciences at the University of Colorado, told its university publication. "The American president and the Russian leader have military people who follow them around with nuclear launch codes, because there are all these ground-based missiles that need to be launched within tens of minutes before they are destroyed if we are attacked."

Toon, however, said the world "should not be too worried" about a nuclear attack.

Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have since hit a dead end, which leaves little hope of a peaceful outcome to this war.

President Joe Biden has promised Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky another $800 million to support them in their efforts against Russia, which includes more weapons. Biden promised continued and unwavering support for the people in Ukraine and their fight for democracy.

"As I assured President Zelenskyy, the American people will continue to stand with the brave Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom," Biden said about his call with Zelensky on Wednesday.