Russia has revised its nuclear doctrine, expanding the potential use of nuclear weapons to include non-nuclear states that receive support from nuclear powers. Ukraine is such a state.
On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree approving the revised national policy on nuclear deterrence, which fundamentally alters Russia’s nuclear doctrine.
This update appears to lower the threshold for nuclear weapon use against Ukraine.
The revision essentially states that any attack by a non-nuclear state supported by nuclear powers will be considered a joint attack and permits a nuclear response.
This effectively means Russia could justify using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, which receives backing from Western nuclear powers such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.
The doctrine also specifies that Russia reserves the right to consider nuclear retaliation in response to conventional weapons attacks threatening its sovereignty, mass launches of enemy aircraft or missiles against Russian territory, or attacks on its key ally, Belarus.
This policy shift is likely connected to the recent U.S. decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles capable of striking Russian territory.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov issued a stark warning during a press briefing, stating that if Ukraine employs Western-supplied non-nuclear missiles, it could trigger a nuclear response from Russia.
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