**China May Have Stopped Putin from Using Nuclear Weapons**
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, says that China may have talked Russian President Vladimir Putin out of using nuclear weapons during the war in Ukraine.
Blinken said that China has become Moscow‘s main ally and financial supporter since the invasion started in February 2022. He believes that China warned Russia not to use nuclear weapons, saying “We have reason to believe that China engaged Russia and said: ‘Don’t go there’.”
The US was concerned about Putin considering nuclear escalation because anything related to nuclear weapons is a serious threat. Blinken said that even if the probability of nuclear weapons being used was low, it’s still a major issue.
China may have also intervened when the US warned Beijing that Putin was planning to launch a nuclear weapon into space. The fear of escalating hostilities with Russia has been a factor in the US administration’s policy towards Ukraine.
Under President Joe Biden, the White House delayed deliveries of certain weapons and withheld permission for Kyiv to launch deep strikes within Russian territory, citing Putin’s “red lines.”
Despite these steps, US intelligence sources say that the risk of a Russian nuclear strike remains unlikely. Blinken defended Biden’s record on Russia and Ukraine, saying that Putin suffered a “strategic defeat” and that NATO has grown stronger.
Biden’s term ends later this month when President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Republican Senator Marco Rubio will replace Blinken as Secretary of State.
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