Escalating Tensions: Nuclear Rhetoric and Hybrid Warfare in Ukraine Conflict

US intelligence assesses that the risk of a Russian nuclear attack remains low despite President Putin's aggressive rhetoric. The US decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range American weapons has not significantly increased the threat of nuclear escalation. Instead, Russia is expected to intensify its hybrid warfare tactics, such as sabotage operations in Europe, to pressure the West. The Biden administration, initially resistant to loosening weapons restrictions, now believes fears of nuclear escalation were exaggerated, though concerns about Russia's unconventional retaliation persist.