President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday for Russia鈥檚 use of its nuclear weapons, a move that follows to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russian territory with American-supplied longer-range missiles.
The new doctrine allows for a potential nuclear response by Moscow even to a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power.
Russia鈥檚 Defense Ministry said Ukraine fired six U.S.-made ATACMS missiles early Tuesday at a military facility in Russia's Bryansk region that borders Ukraine, adding that air defenses shot down five of them and damaged one more. Ukraine's military claimed the strike hit a Russian ammunition depot.
While the doctrine envisions a possible nuclear response by Russia to such a conventional strike, it is formulated broadly to avoid a firm commitment to use nuclear weapons and keep Putin's options open.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that the Ukrainian strike in Bryansk would have been impossible without the involvement of U.S. military experts. The attack marked a 鈥渜ualitatively new phase of Western war against Russia,鈥� he said on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Brazil, warning that Moscow will 鈥渞espond accordingly鈥� without elaborating.
The approval of the document demonstrates Putin鈥檚 readiness to tap his nuclear arsenal to force the West to back down as Moscow presses a slow-moving offensive in Ukraine as the war .
Asked Tuesday if a Ukrainian attack with longer-range U.S. missiles could potentially trigger a nuclear response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov answered affirmatively, pointing to the doctrine鈥檚 provision that holds the door open for it after a conventional strike that raises critical threats for the "sovereignty and territorial integrity: of Russia and its ally, Belarus.
Commenting on whether the updated doctrine was deliberately issued to follow Biden鈥檚 decision, Peskov said the document was published 鈥渋n a timely manner鈥� and that Putin instructed the government to update it earlier this year so that it is 鈥渋n line with the current situation.鈥�
Putin first announced changes in the in September, when he chaired a meeting discussing the proposed revisions. He has previously warned the U.S. and other NATO allies that allowing Ukraine to use Western-supplied longer-range weapons to hit Russian territory would mean that Russia and NATO are at war.
Washington has permitted Ukraine to use the longer-range weapons on targets inside Russia after declaring that thousands of North Korean troops were deployed in the Russian region of Kursk to fight an incursion by Kyiv's forces.
White House officials were not surprised by Putin鈥檚 decision, and the U.S. has seen no change to Russia鈥檚 nuclear posture, according to a U.S. National Security Council official who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity.
As a result, the Biden administration has 鈥渘ot seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture or doctrine in response to Russia鈥檚 statements today,鈥� the official added. Still, the official says the White House views it as 鈥渋rresponsible rhetoric.鈥�
But the official underscored that the arrival of thousands of North Korea soldiers to take part in combat operations against Ukraine was a major escalation by Moscow that demanded a response.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the revised nuclear doctrine as the 鈥渓atest example of irresponsibility鈥� from 鈥渢he depraved Russian government,鈥� according to spokesperson Camilla Marshall.
鈥淩ussia鈥檚 the one that continues to escalate this war, and the use of North Korean troops is just one example of that,鈥� Marshall said. 鈥淗e could remove his troops, roll back his tanks and end the onslaught and needless bloodshed in both Ukraine and Russia. 鈥� We would urge him to do so.鈥�
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in Warsaw that her country would not be intimidated by Russia鈥檚 new policy, saying her country made the mistake of cowering in the face of Moscow's aggression in the past but would not do so again.
The updated doctrine says an attack against Russia by a nonnuclear power with the 鈥減articipation or support of a nuclear power鈥� will be seen as their 鈥渏oint attack on the Russian Federation.鈥�
It says any massive aerial attack on Russia could trigger a nuclear response but avoids any firm commitment and mentions the 鈥渦ncertainty of scale, time and place of possible use of nuclear deterrent鈥� among the key principles of the nuclear deterrence.
The document also notes that aggression against Russia by a member of a military bloc or coalition is viewed as "an aggression by the entire bloc," a clear reference to NATO.
At the same time, it spells out conditions for using nuclear weapons in greater detail compared with previous versions of the doctrine, noting they could be used in case of a massive air attack involving ballistic and cruise missiles, aircraft, drones and other flying vehicles.
The formulation appears to significantly broaden the triggers for possible nuclear weapons use compared with the document's previous version, which stated Russia could tap its atomic arsenal if case of an attack with ballistic missiles.
President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron hand for more than 30 years and has relied on Russian subsidies and support, has allowed Russia to use his country鈥檚 territory to send troops into Ukraine and to deploy some of its tactical nuclear weapons.
Since Putin sent troops into Ukraine, he and other Russian voices have frequently threatened the West with Russia鈥檚 nuclear arsenal to discourage it from ramping up support for Kyiv.
Russian hawks called for toughening the doctrine for months, arguing the previous version failed to deter the West from increasing its aid to Ukraine and created the impression that Moscow would not resort to nuclear weapons.
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Aamer Madhani in Washington and Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Poland, contributed.
The Associated Press
