Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia will retaliate against Ukraine for a drone attack on an airfield housing nuclear-capable aircraft, as Kremlin advisers and figures around Donald Trump raise the spectre of nuclear confrontation to pressure the US president into reducing support for Kyiv.
Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund and a key intermediary between the Kremlin and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, called the strike an attack on 'Russian nuclear assets'. He echoed remarks from pro-Trump influencers warning of a potential third world war, writing: 'Clear communication is urgent – to grasp reality and the rising risks before it’s too late.'
Ukraine claimed the strike damaged over 40 Russian planes, including Tu-95 and Tu-22M heavy bombers used to launch cruise missiles at Ukrainian cities. While these aircraft are part of Russia's nuclear triad, Ukraine voluntarily gave up its nuclear weapons in 1994 in exchange for security assurances from the US, UK and Russia.
Trump said after a phone call with Putin that the Russian leader 'very strongly' indicated he would have to respond. Maga influencers Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk condemned the attack, with Bannon likening it to Pearl Harbor and Kirk warning: 'We’re closer to nuclear war than we’ve been since this began in 2022.'
Keith Kellogg, Trump's envoy for Ukraine and Russia, told Fox News: 'The risk levels are going way up. When you attack an opponent’s part of their [nuclear] triad, your risk level goes up because you don’t know what the other side is going to do.' He also repeated unconfirmed rumours of a strike on Russia's nuclear fleet at Severomorsk.
Dan Caldwell, a former senior aide at the Pentagon, said: 'It is not in America’s interest for Ukraine to be attacking Russia’s strategic nuclear forces the day before another round of peace talks.' Ukrainian officials have countered that Russia exaggerates nuclear threats to blackmail the US into limiting support.
