Nuclear cloud will trigger NATO's Article 5, US warns Russia
www.euractiv.com
The US Senate has introduced a resolution which proposes that the actions of Russia, Belarus "or proxy of Russia" be considered as an attack on NATO, if their actions lead to radioactive contamination of the allies' territory.

The US Senate has introduced a resolution which proposes that the actions of Russia, Belarus “or proxy of Russia” be considered as an attack on NATO, if their actions lead to radioactive contamination of the allies’ territory.

  • tal@kbin.social
    4·
    1 year ago

    I distinctly remember some senator raising the point shortly after the start of the invasion in regards to potential Russian nuclear weapons use in Ukraine, that if it irradiated NATO members that it should be considered an attack on NATO.

    This was well prior to Blinken giving the ultimatum to Russia regarding Russia using nuclear weapons use in Ukraine.

    EDIT: It was Lindsey Graham, back in May of 2022.

    https://www.newsweek.com/nukes-hitting-ukraine-would-attack-nato-due-radiation-graham-1704598

    So the idea has been floating around for a while.

    EDIT2: That being said, this is a non-binding resolution. If this is to become official policy of the US, I think I’d have the executive issue a statement saying so, akin to Kennedy’s statement during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and pair that with Senate and House resolutions indicating that they agree with the policy:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_Missile_Crisis

    At 7:00 pm EDT on October 22, Kennedy delivered a nationwide televised address on all of the major networks announcing the discovery of the missiles. He noted:

    It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union.

    Kennedy described the administration’s plan:

    To halt this offensive buildup, a strict quarantine on all offensive military equipment under shipment to Cuba is being initiated. All ships of any kind bound for Cuba, from whatever nation or port, will, if found to contain cargoes of offensive weapons, be turned back. This quarantine will be extended, if needed, to other types of cargo and carriers. We are not at this time, however, denying the necessities of life as the Soviets attempted to do in their Berlin blockade of 1948.