MOSCOW: Russia on Sunday warned that Moscow will make changes to its nuclear doctrine in response to what it perceives as escalating Western involvement in the Ukraine war, state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying.
The current nuclear doctrine, established by President Vladimir Putin in 2020, permits the use of nuclear weapons in two primary scenarios: in response to a nuclear attack or a conventional attack that threatens the survival of the state. However, recent statements from Russian officials suggest that this doctrine will be updated to reflect new geopolitical realities.
Ryabkov stated that the process of revising the nuclear doctrine is “at an advanced stage” and that there is a “clear intent to make corrections” to the existing policy. This update is directly linked to what Moscow views as escalating actions by Western countries in the Ukraine conflict.
According to state news agency TASS, Ryabkov emphasized that the revision aims to address the perceived threat posed by the West, which Russia accuses of using Ukraine as a proxy to achieve a strategic defeat of Russia and destabilize the nation.
The US and its allies, however, deny these accusations, asserting that their support for Ukraine is a response to Russia’s aggressive invasion. The Western alliance has provided Ukraine with substantial military aid, including tanks, long-range missiles, and F-16 fighter jets.
The announcement follows a series of statements from President Putin, who has suggested that the nuclear doctrine is a “living instrument” capable of adapting to changes in the international landscape. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin has issued several statements that the West has interpreted as nuclear threats, including the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
The situation was further exacerbated last month when Ukraine launched a significant incursion into Russia’s western border, a move that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claimed demonstrated the failure of Putin’s “red lines.” Zelenskiy is also advocating for the US to allow Ukraine to use advanced Western weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, in an interview published on Sunday, asserted that the West is “going too far” in its actions and emphasized that Russia will take all necessary measures to protect its national interests.
Ryabkov, while not providing a specific timeline for the completion of the updated nuclear doctrine, acknowledged the complexity of the process, noting that it involves critical aspects of national security.
Russia, which possesses the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, has previously indicated its readiness to engage in nuclear conflict from a “military-technical point of view.” Despite this, Putin has maintained that there is no immediate need for nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict.
