European Perspective · published 8 h ago ·
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Russia Wants to Take Away Europe's Nuclear Shield
What the site found
Not propaganda · agenda: No nuclear umbrella for Baltics
Belief the Pravda network pushes: France's nuclear umbrella protects Europe but leaves the Baltic states unprotected, and Lithuanians are denied a vote on it.
The video reports on a Russian non-paper from the Abu Dhabi talks that asks Britain and France to rule out using their nuclear weapons to defend other European countries, and presents it as a Russian attempt to weaken European deterrence.
The video says · at 14:52 · quote checked against the transcript
“Russia does not only want to win in Ukraine, it wants Europe to stand alone.”
Russia does not only want to win in Ukraine, it wants Europe to stand alone.
The video criticizes Russia's demand and describes European nuclear deterrence accurately, with sourcing and caveats. It does not claim the Baltics are left unprotected or that Lithuanians are denied a vote, so it runs against the Pravda agenda instead of repeating it.
The Pravda stories it echoes
Closest stories from the Pravda network, by meaning. Each links to the site’s comparison with trusted Lithuanian news.
3 days ago · France fears nuclear war with Russia over Germany's long-range missiles
M low
F low
5 verified differences
19 days ago · France expands its role in nuclear potential in Europe due to decreased trust in US security guarantees
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F low
2 verified differences
Transcript (en, 314 lines)
0:00 Russia has more than 5,000 nuclear
0:03 warheads, more than any other country on
0:07 Earth, Britain and France. Europe's only
0:10 two nuclear powers have around 500
0:13 together by outside estimates. For
0:16 decades, that gap did not matter much
0:19 because America stood behind Europe with
0:22 its own nuclear weapon. But this week, a
0:25 Russian paper appeared in the peace
0:27 talks in Abu Dhabi. It has no signature
0:29 and no official heading. And one line in
0:33 it is new. Russia wants Britain and
0:36 France to promise they will not use
0:38 their nuclear weapons to defend other
0:41 European countries. If they agree,
0:43 Europe's own nuclear shield is gone. If
0:46 that shield is gone, Europe depends only
0:48 on America. And if America ever steps
0:52 back, Europe faces the biggest nuclear
0:55 power in the world with nothing behind
0:57 it. So why does Russia want to take away
1:01 Europe's nuclear shield and what is it
1:04 offering in return? In this video, we
1:07 look at the paper, at Europe's nuclear
1:09 shield and at Russia's offer on
1:13 Bellarus. And at the end, we go back to
1:16 1994 to a country that gave up its
1:20 nuclear weapons for a promise and what
1:23 that promise was worth. Let's start with
1:26 the paper itself. On November 13th, the
1:28 New York Times reported on a Russian
1:31 document. It is dated November 10th, the
1:34 first day of the talks in Abu Dhabi. The
1:37 document has no signature and no
1:39 official heading. Diplomats call this a
1:43 non-paper. That means an unofficial note
1:47 that shows where one side stands without
1:50 making a formal offer. The time says it
1:53 got a copy from a person involved in the
1:57 talks. A second person confirmed it is
2:00 real. So what does Russia want? There
2:03 are five main points. The first NATO
2:05 troops and bases must go back to where
2:09 they were in 1997.
2:12 That means out of Poland, the Baltic
2:14 states and every country that joined
2:17 NATO after that year. The second NATO
2:20 must stop growing and it must stop all
2:24 military activity in Ukraine, Eastern
2:27 Europe, the South Kauas and Central
2:30 Asia. The third, the West must stop
2:33 sending weapons to Ukraine. All weapons
2:36 of any type. The fourth, Ukraine may
2:39 join the European Union, but only if it
2:42 stays out of the EU's common defense
2:44 policy. And the fifth point is the new
2:47 one. Britain and France must rule out
2:50 using their nuclear weapons to defend
2:53 other European countries. According to
2:55 the Kia Post, the paper also asks NATO
2:58 to end something called nuclear sharing.
3:01 Now, to be fair, this is Russia's
3:03 opening position. According to Times,
3:05 Russian officials signaled that Putin
3:08 could still be flexible and the American
3:12 envoys Steve, Jared Kushner pushed back.
3:15 They told the Russians that much has
3:17 changed since December 2021. Why
3:21 December 2021? Because many of these
3:24 demands are almost word for word that
3:26 Russia asked for back then. 2 months
3:29 before it invaded Ukraine in 2021,
3:33 Russia wanted American nuclear weapons
3:35 out of Europe. But it said nothing about
3:38 France and Britain. So what changed? To
3:42 understand the demand, we need to
3:44 understand the shield. Europe is
3:45 protected by nuclear weapons in three
3:48 layers. The first layer is American.
3:50 Experts estimate that around 100
3:52 American nuclear bombs are stored in
3:55 Europe in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the
3:58 Netherlands, and Turkey. This is called
4:00 nuclear sharing. The bombs belong to
4:03 America, but in a war, and only with
4:06 America's permission, European pilots in
4:09 European planes could carry them. The
4:11 second layer is British. Britain has
4:14 four submarines that carry nuclear
4:16 missiles. At least one of them is always
4:18 at sea. hidden every day of the year.
4:21 And Britain says it is the only European
4:24 country that has committed its nuclear
4:27 weapons to the defense of NATO. Last
4:30 month, according to the British
4:32 newspaper, The Times, Britain had three
4:35 of its four submarines at the sea at
4:37 once, for the first time in 5 years. The
4:40 third layer is French. France has its
4:43 own nuclear weapons outside NATO's
4:46 planning. Only one person can decide to
4:48 use them, the French president. Now,
4:51 here's the key. Each layer is a backup
4:53 for the others. The idea is called
4:56 deterrence. It means making an attack so
4:59 dangerous that nobody tries it. If
5:01 Russia ever doubts that America will
5:04 defend Europe, it still has to think
5:06 about London and Paris. And in July
5:09 2025, London and Paris made that clear.
5:13 They signed the Northwood Declaration
5:15 for the first time. The two countries
5:18 agreed to coordinate their nuclear
5:20 forces and they wrote this line. There
5:23 is no extreme threat to Europe that
5:25 would not prompt a response by our two
5:29 nations. In plain words, if Europe faces
5:31 the worst, Britain and France will
5:34 answer together. That is exactly the
5:37 promise Russia wants now uh to take
5:40 back. So why is Russia aiming at France
5:43 and Britain right now? Because the
5:45 shield has started to change. Since
5:48 Trump came back to the White House, many
5:50 in Europe have started to ask a
5:52 question. Will America always be there?
5:55 So Europe started building its own
5:57 backup. On March 2nd, French President
6:00 Emanuel Macron gave a speech at Arong.
6:04 That is the base of France nuclear
6:07 submarines. He announced a plan he
6:09 called forward deterrence. Under this
6:11 plan, France may send fighter jets that
6:14 can carry nuclear weapons to allied
6:16 countries for short periods. Countries
6:19 like Germany and Poland. Macron said
6:21 eight countries had already agreed to
6:24 take part. Britain, Germany, Poland, the
6:27 Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden,
6:30 and Denmark. Since then, Norway has
6:33 joined the talks and Finland has held
6:35 its own talks with Paris. Acron also
6:38 ordered more nuclear warheads for
6:41 France, the first increase since 1992.
6:45 And France will no longer say how many
6:48 it has. So now look at Russia's demand
6:51 again. In 2021, Russia wanted American
6:55 nuclear weapons out of Europe. In 2026,
6:58 it wants more. It wants Europe's own
7:01 backup switched off just as Europe is
7:04 building it. Poland understood this
7:06 right away. According to the Kio Post,
7:09 Poland's prime minister Donald Tusk gave
7:12 a clear answer. He said accepting
7:15 Russia's terms would be a direct threat
7:18 to Poland's security. Poland is one of
7:20 the countries in Macron's plan. And
7:23 under the 1997 demand, NATO troops would
7:27 have to leave Poland. So Poland could
7:30 lose NATO troops on its soil and the
7:33 French nuclear promise at the same time.
7:35 So far we have not seen a public answer
7:38 from London or Paris. Every demand needs
7:41 something in return. And according to
7:44 the German newspaper Bill, Russia does
7:47 offer something. Bill reported that in
7:50 informal talks, Russia offered to take
7:52 its nuclear weapons out of Bellarus and
7:55 to keep intermediate range missiles out
7:57 of Bellarus 2. Intermediate range or
8:00 medium range means missiles that can fly
8:04 between about 500 and 5,500
8:08 kilm. Build did not name its sources and
8:11 the Kremlin denied the report. So treat
8:14 this part with care, but understand the
8:17 offer. You need to know how those
8:20 weapons got there. When the Soviet Union
8:22 fell, Bellarus had Soviet nuclear
8:25 weapons on its soil. It gave them all to
8:28 Russia. The last ones left in November
8:31 1996. For almost 30 years, Bellarus had
8:35 no nuclear weapons. Then in March 2023,
8:40 Putin said Russia would put tactical
8:43 nuclear weapons in Bellarus. Tactical
8:46 means smaller nuclear weapons made for
8:49 use on a battlefield. In June 2023,
8:52 Putin said the first ones had arrived.
8:55 It was the first time since the end of
8:57 the Soviet Union that Russia placed
9:00 nuclear weapons in another country. In
9:02 December 2024, Bellarus leader Alexander
9:06 Lucashenko said there were several dozen
9:09 of them. Nobody outside Russia and
9:12 Bellarus can check that number. Then
9:15 came the Orchnik. It is a new Russian
9:18 medium-range missile that can carry
9:20 nuclear warheads. Russia says it can
9:23 reach targets up to 5,500
9:26 km away that covers almost all Europe.
9:29 Russia has used it against Ukraine
9:32 twice. Most recently in January on the
9:35 region around Lviv near the Polish
9:38 border. In December 2025, Russia said an
9:42 ornik unit was on combat duty in
9:45 Bellarus. Some experts question whether
9:48 the missiles are really there yet. But
9:50 Bellarus shares a border with Poland,
9:53 Lithuania, and Latia. So on paper, the
9:56 offer sounds big, but there are two
9:58 problems. The first weapons that are
10:01 moved out can be moved back in. The
10:04 offer is about moving weapons, not
10:07 destroying them. The second, Russia does
10:10 not need Bellarus to hit Europe.
10:12 According to CNN, the Arashnik that hit
10:14 the Lviv region was launched from a base
10:18 inside Russia. And this is not how
10:20 missiles deals worked in the past. In
10:23 1987, Ronald Reagan and Mikail Gurbach
10:27 signed the INF treaty on exactly these
10:30 medium-range missiles. Both sides agreed
10:33 to get rid of this whole type of
10:35 missile. By 1991, they had destroyed
10:38 2,692
10:41 of them. Not moved, destroyed. And
10:44 inspectors checked. The treaty ended in
10:47 2019 after America said Russia had
10:50 broken it. So compare the two sides of
10:53 the day so far. Russia would move some
10:55 weapons back across from its own border.
10:59 Europe would lose British and French
11:02 protection. So where does this go now?
11:05 Europe has started to organize. On
11:07 November 13th, EU leaders met in Dublin.
11:11 They did not choose one person to speak
11:13 for Europe. Instead, they picked eight
11:16 team. Britain, France, Germany, Italy,
11:19 and Poland. plus the EU's top
11:21 institutions and NATO. Look at that list
11:25 again. Both of Europe's nuclear powers
11:28 are on it and so is Poland. So, the
11:31 countries that Russia's paper targets
11:34 most will be the ones at the table if
11:37 Russia agrees to talk to them. So far,
11:39 Moscow has not agreed to sit down with
11:42 the Europeans. Vkov has said a new round
11:46 with Europeans could come within about a
11:49 week. Then there is a second meeting to
11:52 watch on November 18th and 19th. The
11:55 APEC summit takes place in Shanzen,
11:58 China. Ape is a forum of countries
12:01 around the Pacific Ocean. Trump, Putin,
12:05 and China's Xiinping are expected to
12:08 meet there. The White House says the
12:10 talks between the three will focus on
12:14 cutting nuclear weapons and on Iran, not
12:18 on Ukraine. But the Kremlin says Putin
12:21 and Trump will also discuss Ukraine one
12:26 on one. And there is a reason nuclear
12:28 talks matter so much right now. In
12:31 February, New start run out. That was
12:33 the last treaty that limited America's
12:36 and Russia's long range nuclear weapons.
12:40 Putin offered to keep its limits for one
12:43 more year. Trump said no and asked for a
12:45 new treaty that includes China. So right
12:49 now, no treaty limits the two biggest
12:52 nuclear arsenals in the world. That is
12:55 the background for Russia's paper.
12:57 Russia is not only talking about
13:00 Ukraine. It is talking about who
13:02 protects Europe. So, let's put it all
13:05 together. Russia's paper asks for three
13:08 kinds of things. First, weapons. No more
13:11 Western arms for Ukraine. Second,
13:14 troops. NATO backed 1997. Third, a new
13:20 no British or French nuclear protection
13:22 for the rest of Europe. In return,
13:25 Russia may move some weapons out of
13:28 Bellarus weapons. It only moved there in
13:31 2023. Now, back to the promise from the
13:34 start. When the Soviet Union fell in
13:36 1991,
13:38 Ukraine had the third largest nuclear
13:41 arsenal in the world on its soil, around
13:44 1,900
13:46 long range nuclear warheads. Ukraine
13:49 gave them all up. In return, on December
13:53 5th, 1994,
13:55 it got the Budapest memorandum. Russia,
13:58 America, and Britain promised to respect
14:01 Ukraine's borders and never to use force
14:04 against it. Belellarus got the same kind
14:07 of promise when it gave up its weapons.
14:10 20 years later, in 2014, Russia took
14:13 Crimea. In 2022, it launched a full
14:17 invasion and in 2023, it brought nuclear
14:21 weapons back to Bellarus. So, Europe has
14:23 seen this kind of deal before. give up
14:26 your strongest protection, get a promise
14:28 in return. Now Russia is asking Europe
14:31 for something similar. Britain and
14:34 France would keep their weapons. They
14:37 would only promise not to use them for
14:40 anyone else, not for Poland, not for the
14:43 Baltic Sea states, not for Germany. Yes,
14:46 the Russian paper is only an opening
14:49 position. It may still change, but its
14:52 message is already clear. Russia does
14:55 not only want to win in Ukraine, it
14:57 wants Europe to stand alone. Ukraine
15:00 traded its nuclear shield for a promise
15:03 once. Europe has watched how that
15:06 promise ended.
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