Borrell warns Russian Army would be “annihilated” in case of nuclear attack on Ukraine

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European Union High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell warned Thursday that the EU, NATO and the United States will respond to Russia should Moscow decide to carry out a nuclear strike against Ukraine, saying the Russian Army would be “annihilated.”

In a speech in the Belgian city of Bruges delivered to the European Diplomatic Academy, the head of European diplomacy has assured that Moscow cannot indulge in “bluffs” about the use of nuclear weapons. “It has to be clear that those who support Ukraine, the United States, NATO and the EU, are not with bluffs either,” he stressed.

“A nuclear attack will have a response. Not a nuclear response, but a response so powerful militarily that the Russian Army would be annihilated,” Borrell warned, stressing that Europe is living a “serious moment” in history in which the EU-27 must demonstrate their “unity” and “total firmness.”

This is the first time that a senior European official has spoken concretely about how the West would respond to a Russian nuclear attack in Ukraine. For the moment, NATO has avoided detailing what its response would be, although allied Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that the use of nuclear weapons “would have serious consequences for Russia.”

“Russia knows that a nuclear war cannot be won, it should never be fought. And, of course, we are also closely following the Russian nuclear posture. We have not seen any change, but we will remain vigilant,” the former Norwegian prime minister indicated.

This Thursday, NATO defense ministers are meeting in Brussels in a new meeting dominated by Russian aggression in Ukraine, and in particular the Kremlin’s nuclear threats. In this framework, the allied ministers discussed the situation at a meeting of the NATO Nuclear Planning Group.

In front of the students of the European diplomatic school, the former Spanish minister has defended continuing to support Kiev militarily and to seek the diplomatic way “when possible.” “We have to be ready to do as much as we do now in peace negotiations. The world needs the war to stop,” he has pointed out.

Despite Europe suffering economic consequences of the war in Ukraine, such as soaring energy prices, Borrell has asked to raise his sights and think about the millions of people, mainly in Africa and the Middle East, for whom the effects are “more difficult.”

In his opinion, Europe must be prepared for a period of instability due to the situation in Ukraine and at the same time, it must think about a “new security order.” In this framework, Borrell urged the young diplomats to think about a new world order and how to integrate the post-Vladimir Putin Russia into this future scheme.