Russia leaves door open for pre-emptive nukes

[citizen snips]

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's military chief of staff said Saturday that Moscow could use nuclear weapons in preventive strikes in case of a major threat, the latest aggressive remarks from increasingly assertive Russian authorities.

"We have no plans to attack anyone, but we consider it necessary for all our partners in the world community to clearly understand ... that to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russia and its allies, military forces will be used, including preventively, including with the use of nuclear weapons," Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky said.

The comments from the hawkish Baluyevsky did not appear to mark a policy shift for Russia, whose leaders have stressed the need to maintain a powerful nuclear deterrent and reserved the right to carry out preventive strikes to counter existential threats. But in most of their public remarks about preventive strikes, President Vladimir Putin and other officials have not specifically mentioned the use of nuclear weapons.

Baluyevsky made his remarks at a time of increasingly strained relations between Moscow and the West, which are at odds over a range of issues. They are embroiled in persistent disputes over U.S. plans for missile defense facilities in former Soviet satellite states that have joined NATO, as well as alliance members' refusal to ratify an updated European conventional arms treaty.

more...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-01-19-russia_N.htm

[ladjf]

1. While the U.S. is losing lives and trillions of dollars in Iraq and

Afghanistan for no strategic reason, their are Countries that are capable of annihilating us if they so chose to do it. Oh yea, we might be able to annihilate them in retaliation. Now I fee better.

[newfie11]

2. Don't you think

this is a subtle comment to the US. After all we are invading another country. I guess if I was Baluyevsky and sitting on a hugh amount of oil I would not look kindly toward Bush.