Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton told Newsmax on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not likely to use nuclear weapons amid the war with Ukraine.
Speaking to "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," Bolton said: "I don't think it's likely" Putin will use nuclear weapons, "but I think the circumstance under which Putin could contemplate using a tactical nuclear weapon is when Russian troops are in full retreat heading to the Russian border or when Ukraine forces might be crossing the border.
''We're not there yet, despite these recent successes by Ukraine, but this is a very dangerous position for Russia to be in."
While Bolton asserted that Putin is unlikely to use nuclear weapons, other geopolitical experts are not in agreement. According to a former NATO deputy general, recent battlefield losses may leave Putin inclined to use such armaments to instill fear in Ukrainians and their allies.
Rose Gottemoeller, NATO's former deputy secretary-general, said that "Putin and his coterie have been behaving during this crisis," but she fears that "they will strike back now in really unpredictable ways that may even involve weapons of mass destruction."
Still, Bolton echoed a point that Gottemoeller alluded to in her interview with the BBC's "Today" show.
Bolton speculated that if Putin is put "in a position of desperation," he could use such capabilities. "He certainly doesn't do it when he's winning, which he's not right now. He doesn't even do it when it's close or when he's losing by a little bit.
"But if it turned into a catastrophe, then I think to save his own regime to throw the chessboard on the floor, knocked the pieces over, I think he would be capable of doing it then, yeah."
Bolton highlighted that if "this Ukrainian success continues," the West should "think about the implications of what Putin may do."
If the situation turns into "a Hitler-in-the-bunker scenario," Bolton added, "I think we'd be at risk."
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