Russia uses nuclear threats to influence Trump's policies - ISW

Kremlin uses nuclear blackmail as an instrument of pressure on the US

Russia has stepped up its rhetoric of nuclear threats to put pressure on US President Donald Trump to make decisions favourable to the Kremlin. This is stated in a new report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Analysts note that Moscow systematically uses a strategy of nuclear blackmail in its foreign policy. The Kremlin hopes that fear of a possible escalation will force Washington to limit its support for Ukraine and make concessions to Russia.

«The Kremlin's nuclear rhetoric is not aimed at the actual use of weapons, but is an instrument of psychological pressure on Western leaders,» the ISW said.

Experts add that the Russian authorities are trying to exploit the Trump administration's vulnerability to domestic pressure by intensifying information campaigns about the alleged “danger of the US being drawn into a war”.

The ISW emphasises that the Kremlin's main goal is to reduce the scale of US assistance to Ukraine and impose terms of the “settlement” favourable to Moscow.

📌 Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW)