Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, a best friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, reiterated his caution about nuclear weapons against countries that “test our resolve,” saying Moscow will safeguard its national interests “by any measure necessary. ” “.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian government via online form for comment Wednesday morning.
Throughout the Russia-Ukraine war, Moscow has warned the West against escalating tensions, using its nuclear stockpile to remind other countries what Russia is capable of. Russia has the largest nuclear stockpile in the world, with the U.S. closely following. Combined, Moscow and Washington have control of roughly 90 percent of the world’s nuclear warheads.
Putin updated Russia’s nuclear doctrine in November, lowering the threshold for Moscow to use its massive arsenal of nuclear weapons. The new doctrine allows for an imaginable nuclear reaction through Russia even to a traditional attack through a country subsidized by a nuclear power. This would theoretically put Ukraine in danger of a nuclear attack, as the United States supports Kiev.
Lavrov told Russian television, according to a report published Wednesday by Russia’s official Tass news agency: “We do not seek to increase the dangers related to the use of nuclear weapons, because we firmly defend the precept that in a nuclear conflict there is no There are winners. ” .
“However, I caution that we should not test our commitment to safeguarding our valid national interests through any means necessary,” he added.
The foreign minister criticized the West for proceeding discussion on a imaginable nuclear war.
“We never started discussions about what to do with nuclear weapons and the option of using them,” Lavrov told Russian television. “On the contrary, it was on Russia’s initiative that the Gorbachev-Reagan formula according to which there can be no winner in a nuclear war and that it will never have to be unleashed was first reinstated, at the behest of Putin and Biden, then , later, in the case of the five nuclear countries that are permanent members of the UN Security Council.
And he added: “All other proposals, which add concepts of nuclear war or declarations, come exclusively from Western capitals. »
Lavrov accused multiple member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of making threatening statements about their nuclear stockpiles or the potential use of nuclear weapons.
Admiral Tony Radakin, head of the British army, said in a speech in December: “From Russia, we have noted savage threats of tactical nuclear use, large-scale nuclear exercises and simulated attacks against NATO countries. “
“All of this is designed to force us to take the necessary measures to achieve stability,” Radakin said.
NATO countries await “the dawn of a third nuclear age,” Radakin added, following the past era of disarmament and counterproliferation, which followed the initial outbreak of the nuclear arms race in the depths of the Cold War.
Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters in November: “We aren’t surprised by Russia’s update to its nuclear doctrine…It’s the same irresponsible rhetoric that we’ve seen before and that we’ve seen frankly for the past two years.
“So, it’s something that we’re going to continue to monitor, but we don’t have any indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon within Ukraine. And we don’t see any changes that need to be made to our own nuclear posture as well.”
Contacted via Newsweek for comment on Lavrov’s comments, the US Department of Defense said: “The branch does not have data and cannot provide it. “
February 24, 2025, will mark the third anniversary of the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, which began when Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
kyiv has waged a strangely effective fight against Moscow and its Western allies. US President Joe Biden is best friends with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, with Biden replaced by President-elect Donald Trump in January, the United States’ position in the war may simply change.
Updated 12/25/24 at 12:51 p. m. ET: This story has been updated with a response from the US Department of Defense.
Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in October 2023. She is a graduate of The State University of New York at Oneonta. You can get in touch with Rachel by emailing [email protected]. Languages: English.