Atomare Bedrohung: Wie wahrscheinlich ist eine Eskalation? | Markus Lanz vom 01. März 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin is increasingly threatening the West with the use of nuclear weapons. Some people are concerned that this could lead to a nuclear escalation. But political scientist Frank Sauer attempts to defuse the situation on Markus Lanz. In his opinion, Putin will not use nuclear weapons anytime soon. However, the fact that Russia does not have functional bombs, as rumors have suggested in secret circles in recent weeks, is not the reason for this assumption. Even if 90 percent of all Russian nuclear bombs were not operational, the remaining 10 percent would be perfectly sufficient to change the world. Putin is using the threat as a deterrent. This became clear at the beginning of the war when there was debate about a no-fly zone in Ukrainian airspace, which was to be secured by NATO. Putin's nuclear threat was one reason why it was not established. Another argument against Putin not using nuclear weapons is the nuclear shield over NATO. Not only Russia, but also the USA possesses a large portion of the world's nuclear weapons. A small portion of these are also stationed in Germany. With the newly ordered F-35 jets, these could soon be flown to crisis zones if necessary. Putin knows this just as well as the West, which is why Frank Sauer does not foresee the use of Russian nuclear weapons. You can find the entire talk here: https://kurz.zdf.de/QCi/ Other guests on the show: Katja Kipping, politician The left-wing Berlin Senator for Social Affairs comments on the situation of refugees in the capital, Sahra Wagenknecht's peace manifesto, and possible coalitions after the Berlin election. Robin Alexander, Journalist The deputy editor-in-chief of "Welt" analyzes the process of forming a government in Berlin, the state of the Left Party, and Germany's refugee policy challenges. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Entrepreneur The exiled former oligarch was already a sharp critic of the Kremlin leader before Putin's attack on Ukraine. He explains his vision of a "complete reconstruction" of Russia. _____ Here on ZDFheute Nachrichten, you'll find out what's happening in the world and what concerns us all: We provide insight into the news world, explain the background, and address social debates. Discuss with us in live streams and form your own opinion based on the facts we present. Subscribe to our channel so you don't miss anything. You can always stay up to date at http://www.ZDFheute.de/. #nuclearweapons #russia #germany