NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR

Abstract

The Russian aggression against Ukraine resurrected old nuclear fears from their grave. This is an understandable and somehow unavoidable effect, yet a thorough study of nuclear weapons and the interaction that they enable is important, allowing decision-makers and the public to avoid costly mistakes. This paper is designed as an essay about nuclear weapons, alongside strategic relations as a context for the Russo-Ukrainian War, focusing on nuclear safety, coercive diplomacy and security regimes. The main conclusions are that the risk of accidents remains, the fear of escalation is not always effective as a foreign policy tool, and that international institutions have seriously been weakened.