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Nuclear escalation of Ukraine conflict unlikely, says ex-French envoy

"In my opinion, as long as Russia has an advantage on the battlefield, and at this point it does, the risk of nuclear escalation is low," Jean de Gliniasty poited out

PARIS, November 22. /TASS/. A nuclear escalation of the conflict in Ukraine is unlikely amid Russia's advantage on the battlefield, French diplomat and researcher, former ambassador to Moscow (2009-2013) Jean de Gliniasty said.

"In my opinion, as long as Russia has an advantage on the battlefield, and at this point it does, the risk of nuclear escalation is low," he said in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche.

According to the former diplomat, Ukraine is now in a "poor position" in terms of the conflict. De Gliniasty explained Washington's decision to approve strikes against Russia from Ukrainian territory by saying that the US wants to provide Kiev with "all possible forms of assistance" before Donald Trump comes to power.

According to the former ambassador, European countries can hardly contribute to the settlement of the conflict by diplomatic means. In this regard, de Gliniasty explained that the EU did not adopt a unified position on the Ukrainian issue: there are supporters of negotiations and those who "want to continue arming Ukraine for as long as possible."

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a televised address to the nation on November 21, announcing that in response to the West’s decision to authorize strategic-depth strikes on Russia, Moscow used its new Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile for the first time. The missile, which struck a defense production site in Dnepr (formerly Dnepropetrovsk), was fitted with a conventional warhead, but is designed to carry a nuclear charge as well.

In the president’s words, Oreshnik attacks targets at a speed of Mach 10, or 2.5-3 kilometers per second. Modern air defense systems and missile defense systems deployed by the Americans in Europe cannot intercept such missiles, he added.

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