Moscow, September 27, 2024 — The Europe Today: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent proposal to update the national nuclear doctrine should be seen as a clear warning to Western countries supporting aggression against Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced.
On Wednesday, Putin suggested that Russia’s nuclear strategy be revised to classify “aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear state, with the support of a nuclear state” as a “joint attack,” which could trigger a nuclear response. This proposed change directly addresses scenarios where Ukraine might launch strikes deep into Russian territory using advanced Western-supplied weapons from the U.S., Britain, or France.
Putin also indicated that Russia might consider using nuclear options if it receives “reliable information” about a “massive” missile strike on Russia or its closest ally, Belarus.
Commenting on the proposal, Peskov emphasized that all reasonable leaders and analysts should understand the gravity of this shift, particularly in the context of the unprecedented involvement of Western nuclear powers in the ongoing conflict over Ukraine.
The Russian President has repeatedly warned that allowing Ukraine to use high-precision, foreign-made weapons to strike targets within Russia would amount to direct Western involvement in the hostilities. Nevertheless, Moscow maintains its adherence to the principle that “a nuclear war should never be fought.”
