Putin Ally Predicts 'End of Our Planet' in Nuclear 'Red Line' Warning

Ever since Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened the possibility of a nuclear war, political and military leaders have been evaluating possible outcomes. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko warned that although his Kremlin ally never planned to use nuclear weapons, the Russian leader will fight his way out if backed into a corner.

As Ukraine strengthens its defense and its counterattacks continue to damage Russian forces, Putin's rhetoric has grown increasingly aggressive, with the Russian president threatening nuclear action against the Eastern European country to protect territory he recently annexed from it. In an interview with NBC News on Friday, Lukashenko said that if certain red lines are crossed in Ukraine, Putin could continue his attack against the country in worse ways than he's already done.

Lukashenko referenced Putin's missile strikes against Ukraine's infrastructure that killed civilians, destroyed bridges, buildings and power stations, and said if Putin is backed into a corner, more similar attacks could happen. Lukashenko added that Russia possesses "the most modern weapons" and that it didn't need nuclear weapons to win the war. He said he believes the threat of nuclear war is merely a political motivator, but if it were to occur, destruction would ensue and not just in Ukraine.

"This would be the end of our planet," Lukashenko said. "If nuclear weapons are used even by one country, it will cause a chain reaction. Russia understands this well. And no one, I want to underscore this, I know it for sure from President Putin himself, no one has set a goal of using nuclear weapons."

However, Michael Kimmage, professor and chair of the Catholic University of America's history department, told Newsweek that Lukashenko is a Kremlin ally, and his message could be only to intimidate. Kimmage said the message also could be a response to President Joe Biden's declaration on how the United States would intervene if needed and the European Union's (EU) announcement that it would support direct attacks on Russian military if nuclear warfare was used.

"It's not an accident," Kimmage said of Lukashenko's message. "It's in close coordination with the Kremlin."

Kimmage said the messaging has two purposes: to incite an emotional reaction because "nothing else is working" in Russia's war against Ukraine, and to be used primarily for domestic consumption in Russia.

"'We are tough, we are not backing down, we have weapons,' they are messaging to themselves," he added.

However, Kimmage told Newsweek that Lukashenko was probably not wrong. If nuclear warfare ensues, it could lead to a serious escalation from the U.S.

"It would be hard to imagine the Russians wouldn't respond with their own escalation," Kimmage said, who added that the cycle of back-and-forth warfare was "much scarier" than the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Kimmage said Russia's only other tactic may be to wait for winter, watch the damage to the European economy and see if Ukraine's support from ally nations weakens.

Meanwhile, Lukashenko urged on Friday for political parties to find a "peaceful solution" for the war, touting the benefits it could have for all countries, including the U.S.