Putin had no intention of using a nuclear response to ATACMS, as sources from Informator provided compelling evidence.

The Russian leader Vladimir Putin did not intend to use nuclear weapons in response to the U.S. allowing ATACMS missiles to be used for attacks on Russian territory. Throughout the war between Americans and Russians, a number of informal agreements were established to prevent escalation. Putin violated certain agreements when he involved North Korean troops in military operations. At the same time, the U.S. decided to lift restrictions on strikes with its own missiles on Russian territory. However, Putin is not interested in real escalation – he seeks negotiations involving Trump. This was reported to the Informant by sources close to the authorities.

Is breaking agreements an escalation?

According to our interlocutors, contacts between the U.S. and Russia have been maintained throughout the war, although their level is quite low. This means it is not at the level of presidents or defense ministers. Nevertheless, through these contacts during the full-scale invasion, Democrats managed to construct a number of informal agreements aimed at preventing escalation.

In particular, there was an agreement that NATO would not deploy its troops in Ukraine. In response, the Kremlin was not to involve foreign armies in the war.

Overall, there are several similar agreements, but the details about them are not disclosed. If one side violates a certain condition of the agreement, the other also permits prohibited actions.

Thus, Putin violated the agreement regarding foreign troops when he engaged the North Korean army. However, Moscow justified this by claiming that North Korean military personnel are not participating in combat operations on Ukrainian territory – only in Russia, specifically in Kursk.

In response, the Biden administration allowed strikes with Western missiles on Russian territory. Therefore, this was not an escalation, but a corresponding measure.

Russia threatens with nuclear weapons, and Trump capitalized on it

Russia's statements about launching nuclear weapons in response to ATACMS are more aimed at its domestic audience, according to the Informant's source. However, Donald Trump took advantage of the situation, as he enjoys creating headlines. Therefore, his team claimed that Biden is drawing the world into World War III.

"We have received the Western hysteria and the Russian medium-range missile, which is a carrier of nuclear weapons – but only with dummies. Russia has done this before. For instance, some launches of the X-22 were also without any warhead," says our interlocutor.

According to him, Putin will not escalate the situation, as he is counting on Trump. The Kremlin leader believes that the newly elected American leader is supposedly preparing to hand Ukraine over to Russia in exchange for forming an alliance against China. After all, Trump considers China to be America's main enemy.

It is important for Putin to have future negotiations with the U.S., even if no agreements are reached during these talks. The very fact of negotiations is very significant, the source claims.

The Informant was the first to report that Trump's team is considering a scenario in which Ukraine could be placed under Russian influence in exchange for a Russia-U.S. alliance against China. However, it is currently unknown how much support this scenario has from the elected U.S. president.

Later, Western media, citing their own sources, confirmed that there are people in Trump's team who consider it reasonable to seek ways for an alliance between Russia and the U.S., even at the expense of Ukraine. But it is clear that reaching such an agreement is extremely difficult.

It is also known that Ukrainian intelligence has published in the media a ridiculous peace plan that Russia is trying to present to Trump. According to this plan, Ukraine is to be divided into three parts, one of which has already been occupied by the aggressor. In the second part, centered in Kyiv, a pro-Russian government is to be established. The fate of the third part, consisting of western regions, is to be decided by Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Poland.