As far as I know, Mac Arthur had also optioned for a nuclear strike on Chinese cities like Shanghai, and I guess that this was the final straw which made Truman fire him.
I'm no military expert either, but for one fact it was always a part of the Soviet and apparently Russias military doctrine that human life is cheap when to achieve a goal and as historic and current events show still being valid. Besides - and I can't stress it often enough - a majority of Russian people are behind Putin and his "Special Operation" and an quite scary high number of influential Russians are calling for the use of tactical nukes in the Ukraine.
As long as these nukes are detonating not too close to the border of Poland...well, Putin is the Outlaw #1 anyway, and when push comes to shove I think he will use them.
Deescalation is not a part of Putins strategy, as his tactic of continuously stepping up the conflict shows. And so far, it had worked for him, as the US, EU and NATO are still limiting themselves on reacting and tinkering around each time Putin is holding up his stick.
Not to rain on your parade, but do you really think that the weather will be a decisive factor? I mean, the Russians are also used to cold and wet and mud and whatever, so...not to forget that until 1991, the Ukraine was a part of the Soviet empire and therefore it's not exactly like a completely different territory for the Russians. Plus, Putin is not entirely wrong when he says that the winter could work to his advantage when you see it from a logistical point of view.
And though morale and training within the Russian army may lack a lot, they still are in the Ukraine, and for each one protesting the war there will be at least 10,000 supporting it.
As much as I like to see Putin, his honchos and Russia overall meeting the same fate of Nazi Germany in terms of liberation and reeducation, I'm afraid that Putin will not give up on his own volition.
Technically, a nuclear strike on China during the Korean War might have had its benefits - the USA was still being ahead in nuclear arms, and the consequences were manageable since the Russians may have had protested loudly but secretly might have sent a crate of caviar to Truman with a "Thank you for bombing our enemy"-card while China would have been on its knees.
No Kim clan firing rockets over Japan and all of Korea being united. Well, we'll never know.
But when I look at the NATO of today...frankly said I'm worried. For one example, what does Putin have to lose when using tactical nukes? Putin knows that there will be lots of debates and hesitation on the Western side about an military engagement plus he still has the advantage of being the "home team". A home team still supported by a majority of Russians of which many are crying for the extermination of the Ukrainian people, I have to add.
It might have looked different if the NATO had engaged in the first days after Putins invasion of the Ukraine by driving out all Russian forces, but this opportunity has been given away lighthearted.
As much as I like to see Putins ass getting kicked around the block, I'm afraid that the war will drag on for years unless there's a Russian Elser or Stauffenberg who are disposing him with the goal of establishing peace and democracy (currently, it's more likely that a disgruntled oligarch orders a hit on Putin because of the personal wealth melting away).
