War With Russia: Former Ambassador Says Putin Doesn’t Wish For War, But He Will Strike If Provoked

War with Russia is a real threat if Hillary Clinton becomes president, claims Green Party nominee Jill Stein and, more recently, Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Stein insists war with Russia, which she believes would most likely turn into World War 3, would be launched in response to Clinton creating a no-fly zone in Syria, which would directly conflict with Russia’s current involvement in the war-torn country. The question remains, however, on how the Kremlin leader feels about these speculations that have been brought to the forefront in the 2016 U.S. election.

Sir Anthony Brenton, a man who served as the British ambassador to Moscow from 2004 – 2008, and whose experience with Russia spans over 20 years, says Putin does not want to go to war with the West, but the Russian president is ready to if provoked by Western leaders by interfering with his involvement in Syria, according to an opinion piece he penned for the Daily Mirror.

Brenton asserts that Putin is not interested in going to war. However, this does not mean he’s not prepared if permitting circumstances arise, and as such, Moscow does pose a very serious threat to the West if certain lines are crossed.

Brenton writes, “we are in the most dangerous situation in our relations I have ever seen. In Russia all the talk is of a second Cold War, with active preparations for fighting a hot war if necessary.”

“Hot war” in this day and age translates to “nuclear war,” and a nuclear war with Russia would no doubt turn out to be just as devastating as it sounds.

Putin has recently taken aggressive measures in warning the West that if war with Russia is what they want, he’s not ill-prepared to meet the challenge.

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Just a few days ago, the Kremlins revealed a formidable nuclear weapon in the form of a missile they’ve named “Satan 2,” which, if launched, is capable of decimating a spot of land the size of France.

In another instance, the Russians traveled into the English Channel on their way to Syria via a convoy of military vessels, precipitating the U.K. navy to stalk them for that portion of their voyage.

Reuters reported that on October 7, Russian military transferred a group of missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads near the Baltic coast of Eastern Europe, and while they were carrying this task out, soldiers purposely exposed the missiles in view of U.S satellites.

“A U.S. intelligence official said on Friday that Russia had started moving the Iskander-Ms into the enclave on the Baltic in what he said could be a gesture to express displeasure with NATO.

“Konashenkov said one of the missiles had been deliberately exposed to a U.S. spy satellite. ‘We did not have to wait for too long – our American partners confirmed it themselves in their revelatory endeavor,’ he said.”

Putin has also recently withdrawn from agreements of nuclear disarmament between Russia and the United States. The reason for this, reports the Telegraph, is because of, “a drastic change in circumstances, the appearance of a threat to strategic stability due to unfriendly actions of the United States toward Russia.”

Despite these moves that suggest war with Russia is imminent, Brenton believes that Putin is taking these actions to send the message that war is not the answer to the world’s problems at this time.

“They do not want war. They would lose. These shows of strength are not an intention to fight, but a signal that fighting must be avoided.”

Furthermore, although Brenton says Russia doesn’t have a chance at winning a war against the West, he asserts that Putin would not back down, even in the face of probable defeat.

“For Russia backing down is now close to impossible. The loss of face would almost certainly be the end of Putin.”

In short, the Russian leader that, according to Jill Stein, Donald Trump and a few others, Hillary Clinton seeks conflict with wants to avoid war with the United States, but if Clinton does become president and goes through with her plan to establish a no-fly zone in Russian controlled Syrian territory, Putin will respond in kind.

A war with Russia can be avoided, says Brenton, as long as the West chooses to respect the positions Vladimir Putin has taken in Syria and elsewhere, but if you want a conflict, the Russian leader is more than willing to come at you with everything he has.

[Featured Image by Handout/Getty Images]