‘Mutually assured destruction’ preventing Putin using nuclear button, says Ros Atkins
dailystar.co.ukVladimir Putin has so far resisted pressing the nuclear button because of treaties signed as a result of fears of “mutually assured destruction”, BBC presenter Ros Atkins has suggested.
Putin ordered Russian troops to invade neighbouring country Ukraine on February 24, and while the capital Kyiv has so far resisted advances, there have been reports that the country’s first city has fallen after heavy bombing.
Despite a number of Brits heading abroad to join the fight, NATO countries have so far refused to directly intervene, but Putin recently upgraded his country’s nuclear status to "high alert".And now, popular BBC presenter Ros Atkins has looked back on the history of nuclear weapons, highlighting the “strongest of reasons” why the Russian leader has not yet resorted to deploying his nuclear missiles.In a three minute explainer video, Ros described how countries amassing nuclear weapons had agreed to treaties to avoid the need for the missiles ever to be used.He explained that it is the existence of these treaties that had, for now at least, prevented Putin from deploying his missiles.Following the Cuban missile crisis in 1961, 191 countries signed up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, committing to reduce their arsenals. "In the 70s, the deals between Russia and the US continued… and though the rivalry of these superpowers intensified, in 1991, there was the New START treaty...
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