Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin reserves the right to use nuclear weapons against any country that poses a risk to Russia or Belarus, as he addressed his country’s new nuclear doctrine.
While addressing a television audience at his annual question-and-answer session, he was asked whether the West had “got the message” of Russia’s resolve to lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons in November.
Putin replied: “I don’t know what message they received, ask them. “
He then indexed a number of “key points” in the updated document.
“When we talk about certain military risks that can become new threats, we are talking about expanding the responsibility of non-nuclear states that can engage in aggression against Russia, along with countries with nuclear capabilities,” he said. -he declared.
“And if those countries pose a risk to us, we reserve the right to use our nuclear weapons against them.
“We have announced that if the same threats are made against our ally, Belarus, we will do everything to ensure the security of Belarus. And I think this is a very important component of the updated nuclear doctrine.”
Russia’s new nuclear doctrine of lowering the threshold for using the world’s largest atomic weapons arsenal caused concern among the international community.
The updated document was inked 1,000 days from the start of Russia’ full-scale invasion of Ukraine and it followed President Joe Biden’s administration dropping restrictions on Kyiv using ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) to strike inside Russian territory.
Russia’s change in position involves at least four main changes.
Firstly, aggression towards Belarus was added to the doctrine, where previously only threats posed to Russia were mentioned. The leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, is Putin’s closest ally in Europe and has allowed his country to host Russian nuclear warheads.
Second, Russia had already warned of a nuclear reaction if “the very lifestyles of the state were threatened. “The revised rules now refer to “a critical threat” to the “sovereignty” as well as the “territorial integrity” of Russia and Belarus.
Third, the new doctrine has expanded the list of what Russia considers military risks that require a nuclear response. These include the possession of any type of weapon of mass destruction that could be used against Russia, military exercises near Russian borders, and attempts to attack environmentally dangerous facilities or isolate part of Russian territory.
Finally, the updated document no longer says that Russia regards nuclear weapons “solely” as a means of deterrence, and adds that Moscow can use nuclear weapons against “potential” enemies.
In September, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made claims similar to those from Putin on Thursday. He warned the world that Moscow’s nuclear weapons were in “full combat readiness.”
In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Lavrov said Russia has weapons “that will have serious implications for the culprits of the Ukrainian regime. “But he added: “No one needs a nuclear war. “
Tensions between Russia and the West have escalated in months, with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov warning this week of a direct confrontation between Moscow and NATO over the next decade.
Belousov also said that in the war in Ukraine, Russian forces were complex on all fronts and aimed to absolutely overtake next year the regions of Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Donetsk, which Putin had declared annexed through Russia in 2022.
Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January raised questions about the long duration of the war in Ukraine.
Trump’s transition team has been working on a plan to bring Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table, and has said that both Kyiv and Moscow will have to compromise.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he opposed the prospect of a freeze in the conflict, telling French newspaper Le Parisien that Trump “knows my preference not to rush things to the detriment of Ukraine. “
Yevgeny Kuklychev is Newsweek’s London-based Senior Editor for Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe. He previously headed Newsweek’s Misinformation Watch and Newsweek Fact Check. Yevgeny focuses on Russia and Ukraine war, European and US Politics, misinformation and fact checking. He joined Newsweek in 2021 and previously worked at the BBC, MTV, Bonds & Loans and First Draft. He is a graduate of Warwick University. Languages: English, Russian.
You can get in touch with Yevgeny by emailing [email protected]