Nina Khrushcheva Says Ukraine Conflict More Dangerous Due to Lack of Willingness to De-Escalate
Nina Khrushcheva, the great-granddaughter of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, has expressed grave concerns that the current standoff between Russia and the West is more perilous than during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Speaking on the Today programme, Khrushcheva, an academic and professor of international affairs at The New School in New York, warned that the conflict in Ukraine could escalate into a nuclear confrontation due to both sides’ refusal to back down.
Khrushcheva drew a stark contrast between the Cold War era and today, noting that while both U.S. President John F. Kennedy and her great-grandfather were involved in a “war of words” during the Cuban Missile Crisis, they ultimately agreed to de-escalate when the threat of nuclear war became imminent. In contrast, she argued, there seems to be no such willingness to retreat in the current conflict, with Ukraine acting as a proxy battleground for the West and Russia.
Reflecting on the lessons of the 1962 crisis, Khrushcheva emphasized that despite ideological differences, Kennedy and Khrushchev both understood the gravity of the nuclear threat and acted swiftly to avoid it. She expressed concern that such restraint is absent in the present conflict, making it more dangerous.
