Response to nuclear blackmail must be “fierce” otherwise millions of casualties imminent — Yermak

Civilized world must show Russia that it will not get away with either attempted annexation or nuclear blackmail.

That's according to Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian President's Office, who penned an op-ed for The Atlantic.

"The response to Russia's nuclear blackmail must be fierce and unequivocal, rejecting the very idea of making concessions to a nuclear aggressor. Otherwise, every ambitious dictator will scramble to obtain nuclear weapons, and every responsible nonnuclear nation will seek to acquire nuclear weapons for self-defense. Nonproliferation agreements will be worthless. Nuclear wars, with their millions of casualties, will follow," Yermak wrote.

The Russian Federation began to threaten nuclear blackmail to force the Ukrainian state to abandon the fight for its people and its land. Therefore, according to his conviction, today the civilized world must demonstrate resolution and make it clear to the Russian Federation that it will not get away with either an attempt at annexation or nuclear blackmail.

Yermak believes one of these decisive steps may be the conclusion of the Kyiv Security Compact, recommendations for which were recently presented.

According to the head of the President's Office, the principle of operation of this agreement is simple: the security of Ukraine depends primarily on the ability to defend itself. To do this effectively, Ukraine needs long-term contributions from its allies. The Kyiv Security Compact is aimed at providing practical assistance to enhance Ukraine's defensive capabilities.

"A core group of Ukraine's allies, with significant military capabilities, would make a set of commitments that are both politically and legally binding. Alongside these commitments of military support, a broader group of international partners would offer a set of nonmilitary guarantees based on sanctions," Yermak said.

He added that these recommendations are not a substitute for Ukraine's ambition to join NATO. But joining NATO will take time, while Ukraine needs guarantees to protect it today.

As reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine during a phone call with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the world must not tolerate Russian nuclear blackmail.