Blinken stated that China prevented Russia from using nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Russia considered the possibility of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, stated Secretary of State Antony Blinken. However, in his view, China prevented the realization of these plans.

In an interview with the Financial Times, published on January 4, Blinken expressed that the U.S. was "very concerned" about the potential use of nuclear weapons by Russia or at least the consideration of such an option by Vladimir Putin. Nevertheless, according to Blinken, China dissuaded Russia from the idea of using nuclear arms in Ukraine.

"We have reason to believe that China communicated with Russia and said, 'Don't go there'", Blinken stated.

In the Secretary of State's opinion, China's stance against the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine may have been shaped after the U.S. informed China about Russia's plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space.

Recall that on November 21, 2024, Vladimir Putin announced that the country had struck Ukraine with a medium-range missile "Oreshnik" over Dnipro. He claimed that the munition could potentially carry a nuclear payload and that its launch was allegedly a response to Ukraine's use of long-range weapons from Western partners.

At that time, Putin's press service stated that they had warned the U.S. 30 minutes before the launch via the "nuclear threat reduction center." The U.S. confirmed that they were aware of the ballistic missile launch and had warned Ukraine and allies. However, at that moment, U.S. officials stated that they "did not see signs that Russia was preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine."