Feb. 28, 2022

Dear Friends:

We are at a perilous moment in the crisis surrounding Vladimir Putin's indefensible, premeditated war on Ukraine. As Russia's forces continue to pummel Ukraine’s towns and cities, millions of innocent people are at risk.

And now, Putin has put Russia’s nuclear forces on a higher level of alert. He's rattling his nuclear saber and raising the risk of escalation in ways we have not seen since the end of the Cold War.

If there was ever a moment to join and or make a special donation to the Arms Control Association, now is the time: ArmsControl.org/Donate

As I told The Associated Press Sunday: “Inserting nuclear weapons into the Ukraine war equation at this point is extremely dangerous and the United States, President Biden, and NATO must act with extreme restraint. This is a very dangerous moment in this crisis, and we need to urge our leaders to walk back from the nuclear brink.”

Making matters worse, Putin’s Belarussian allies just approved a measure that would allow for the stationing of Russian “tactical” nuclear weapons in Belarus if NATO were to station U.S. nuclear weapons east in Poland or the Baltic states. These are exactly the kind of escalatory steps that will, if we don’t stop them, further undermine Russian and European security and increase the risk of nuclear war in the difficult months and years ahead.

How exactly the tragedy plays out in Ukraine and beyond is not clear.

What is clear is that we face a period of deep tensions with the Putin regime. Further, unless we persuade key leaders to make the right choices, we face the prospect of nuclear arms racing without arms control guardrails and the heightened risk of nuclear weapons use.

We really need your help to build support for the solutions that will reverse these dangerous trends.

Right now, we're working hard to warn about the catastrophic effects of a war in Europe that goes nuclear. We are focusing on the need to adopt policies that prevent the risk of first use of nuclear weapons.

U.S., Russian, and European leaders, along with all of humanity, cannot lose sight of the fact that war and the threat of nuclear war are the common enemies.
We must get the world back on the path to verifiably eliminate all nuclear weapons through effective nuclear risk reduction, arms control, and disarmament.

We’re a relatively small organization, but we have impact disproportionate to our size. And we depend on the generous support of concerned people like you.

Please consider pitching-in as our work depends on your support: ArmsControl.org/Donate

For some of our answers to frequently asked questions we’re getting on "Russia’s War on Ukraine and the Risk of Nuclear Escalation,” see our new explainer.

For a summary analysis of what would happen if, in a conflict between NATO and Russian forces, nuclear weapons were to be used by one side or the other, see “Plan A: How a Nuclear War Could Progress,” from the July 2020 Issue of Arms Control Today.

There’s more in the coming March issue of Arms Control Today, including my essay on "Putin’s Assault on Ukraine and the Nonproliferation Regime," and an interview with three leading Russia experts on the origins of Russia’s war on Ukraine and what a resolution could involve.

Thank you and stay safe,

Daryl G. Kimball
Executive Director

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