“Putin’s clearly trying to inject nuclear leverage into both Ukraine and his relationship with the United States,” says Global Zero Senior Adviser Jon Wolfsthal, “And that should worry a lot of people.”

“’With Russia breaking treaties, China building up, North Korea testing missiles and Iran now close to weapons-grade uranium, it is a bad period for nuclear stability and restraint,’” says Global Zero Senior Adviser Jon Wolfsthal,

“Putin’s move is political, not military. He seeks to unsettle NATO allies and stoke fears of broader war because he is losing in Ukraine,” says Global Zero Senior Adviser Jon Wolfsthal.

“‘This is a desperate political move by Putin to stoke fear and undermine support for Ukraine,’ says Global Zero Managing Partner Derek Johnson. ‘There’s no need for the US to respond in kind or adjust its nuclear posture, and any move to do so only plays into Putin’s hands.’”

Global Zero Co-founder Bruce G. Blair is quoted in Norman Solomon’s op-ed marking the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: “By scrapping the vulnerable land-based missile force, any need for launching on warning disappears.”