West is preparing for Putin to use "all tools he has left" in Ukraine, - Guardian
British officials at a summit of G7 foreign ministers in Japan said they were prepared for nuclear threats and cyber attacks as part of Russia’s response to a projected counteroffensive.
The Guardian writes about it, Censor.NET informs.
The publication notes that in March, former Russian President Dmytro Medvedev said that Moscow is ready to respond to the Ukrainians with "absolutely any weapon" if Kyiv tries to return Crimea.
"It seems that the Kremlin has recognized that Russian troops may soon begin to defend themselves in Ukraine, as their own winter counteroffensive is slowing down," the publication wrote.
Russia's nuclear rhetoric united G7 ministers, who issued a statement after a two-hour meeting on Monday that condemned the threats as "unacceptable" and criticized Putin's plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
G7 officials said the talks had "an open exchange of views" on the approach to the Ukrainian conflict, including "future prospects" for ending the war, which British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said would "eventually come to the negotiating table."
A transatlantic group of former senior diplomats and high-level military advisers has said the war in Ukraine will reach a stalemate unless the West increases its military support.
At the same time, the group said that "declarations of steadfast support are not enough" and "actions still do not match the rhetoric" in reflecting military assessments in European capitals and Washington.
