On Friday, September 27, Forward Defense Senior Fellow Dr. Robert Soofer was interviewed by host Parikshit Luthra as part of a panel on Indian television network CNBC-TV18 to discuss the change in Russia’s nuclear posture. Dr. Soofer asserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nuclear rhetoric is aimed at deterring NATO countries from providing long-range weapons for Ukrainian forces to launch into Russia. “It’s hard to imagine” that Ukrainian long-range strike capability would pose an existential threat to the Russian state, Dr. Soofer noted. The panel, which included Dr. Soofer, former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal, and India Foundation Director Major General Dhruv C. Katoch, also discussed a recent Reuters report outlining increasing cooperation between Russia and China to manufacture long-range drones for use in Ukraine.
Forward Defense leads the Atlantic Council’s US and global defense programming, developing actionable recommendations for the United States and its allies and partners to compete, innovate, and navigate the rapidly evolving character of warfare. Through its work on US defense policy and force design, the military applications of advanced technology, space security, strategic deterrence, and defense industrial revitalization, it informs the strategies, policies, and capabilities that the United States will need to deter, and, if necessary, prevail in major-power conflict.
