Putin flaunting his lethal nuclear arsenal, amid escalation in Ukraine

Amid a conflict that has been dragging on for over a year now, Western states, especially NATO member states, including the US, are talking about a nuclear spring offensive in Ukraine.

The offensive, they say, aims to give Kiev the territories it has lost to Russia since 2014 when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his country's annexation of Crimea.

Crimea recapture

Middle East strategic relations expert, Kazim Yawer, expected Ukrainian progress in some areas not to open the door for demands for the restoration of Crimea.

"Russian troops continue to occupy large strategic cities," Yawer told The Reference.

"Ukrainian forces have not advanced to liberate them," he added.

He explained that the recapture of Crimea from Russia might tempt Putin to use nuclear weapons immediately.

Crimea, Yawer said, means a lot for the Russians at this stage.

"Russia will not enter diplomatic or military negotiations [on this island]" Yawer said.

"If there is a direct military threat to Russian troops in Crimea, Russia will resort to the nuclear option on a limited rather than large scale," he added.

European support

It is important to note that European states said they are discussing the possibility of supplying Ukraine with modern tanks and long-range projectiles capable of penetrating Russian depths.

Moscow, in turn, made its old threat of using the deadly Russian nuclear arsenal.

US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, revealed that the Netherlands would transfer Patriot missiles and their launchers to Ukraine.

The Netherlands, he added, would also train members of the Ukrainian armed forces in the use of the missiles and the launchers.

He said NATO states had pledged to meet Ukraine's needs of tanks and armoured vehicles.

Nuclear arms

Moreover, it is not possible to accurately predict what Russia will do in the future, but it can be argued that the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine will have very catastrophic consequences and lead to significant destruction and serious human losses.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have been escalating for a long time now.

Relations between the two countries have experienced a serious deterioration in recent months.

Although Russia has not declared its intention to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, it has shown a strong determination to support separatists in eastern Ukraine, and used military force to annex Crimea in 2014.