The Kremlin said on Thursday (26) that changes to Russia’s nuclear weapons doctrine outlined by President Vladimir Putin should be seen as a signal to Western countries that there will be consequences if they participate in attacks on Russia.
Putin said on Wednesday (25) that Russia could use nuclear weapons if hit by conventional missiles, and that Moscow would consider any attack backed by a nuclear power as a joint strike.
The decision to change Russia’s official nuclear doctrine is the Kremlin’s response to deliberations in the United States and Britain over whether to give Ukraine permission to fire Western conventional missiles at Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said adjustments to a document called “The Fundamentals of State Policy in the Sphere of Nuclear Deterrence” had been formulated.
Asked by reporters whether the changes were a signal to the West, Peskov said: “This should be considered a definitive signal.”
“This is a signal warning these countries about the consequences if they participate in an attack on our country by various means, and not necessarily nuclear ones,” Peskov said.
The world, Peskov said, witnessed an “unprecedented confrontation” which he said was provoked by “the direct involvement of Western countries, including nuclear powers” in the war in Ukraine.
Peskov said the decision on whether to publish the nuclear documents would be made later.
Russia’s current published nuclear doctrine, set out in a 2020 decree by Putin, says Russia can use nuclear weapons in the event of a nuclear attack by an enemy or a conventional attack that threatens the existence of the state.
Asked whether rejecting a post-Soviet moratorium on nuclear tests was discussed as part of the changes, Peskov said he could not answer the question because Wednesday’s meeting was largely secret.
This content was originally published in Russia changes nuclear doctrine and Kremlin threatens: message to the West on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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