Vladimir Putin has a 'red phone' to contact the US in case of nuclear war, but it's not what you think

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden can rely on a direct hotline to convey messages or speak directly in case the situation between the two ‘foe’ countries starts boiling.

Historical background

The ‘Red Phone’, is a supposed direct phone line between the leaders of Russia and the US.
According to NBC News, this is a false image, also perpetuated in popular culture by two movies called ‘Dr. Strangelove’, and ‘FailSafe’.

However, contrary to the opinion held by the public, it is not a telephone line at all. The reality is based on secure teletypes, faxes, and computer links transmitting encrypted text between the Kremlin and the Pentagon.

The ‘Red Phone’ was set up in 1963 in a period known in history as the ‘Cuban Missile Crisis’ and in which US President Kennedy and Russian President Khrushchevcame close to nuclear destruction because of delays in communication between the two.

According to TheDaily Digest, the first line between the two states was a telegraph wire which extended a long itinerary stretching Washington DC - London - Copenhagen - Stockholm - Helsinki - Moscow:

There was also a working radio link between Washington DC and Moscow with an antenna midway in Tangier, Morocco as a backup.

Modern relevance

As opposed to the tangible line going halfway around the planet, with the advent of modern technology the ‘Red Phone’ evolved to rely on satellites, fax machines, computers, email, NBC News reports.

The last time known to the public in which the ‘Red Phone’ between Russia and the US was used was in 2016 when US President Obama communicated to Putinhis disapproval of Russian hackers interfering in the 2016 US Presidential Elections, NBC News reports:

Obama delivered his message by email over a secure satellite connection, a far cry from the wire telegraph that served the first transmissions a half-century ago.

The ‘Red Phone’ is thought to be useful also during this period in which the US and Russian tensions have escalated regarding the use of nuclear weapons about the situation in Ukraine.

The Daily Digest suggests, before it gets to a direct talk between the leaders which is considered a last resort, it is the responsibility of the foreign secretaries to try and diffuse a situation.

Sources used:

-NBCNews: ‘The Truth Behind the 'Red Phone': How the U.S. and Russia Really Connect’

-TheDailyDigest: ‘Red telephone: the direct link between Putin and Biden in case of nuclear war’