President Vladimir Putin has recently announced an update to Russia's nuclear doctrine, following a decision by US President Joe Biden to grant Ukraine permission to target deep inside Russia with US-made weapons. The updated doctrine, issued on Tuesday, states that Moscow will view aggression from any non-nuclear state, in collaboration with a nuclear country, as a joint attack on Moscow.
The Kremlin's revised military doctrine, unveiled on Tuesday, suggests a potential lowering of the threshold for the first use of nuclear weapons. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized that the changes allow the Russian Federation to utilize nuclear weapons in response to aggression involving conventional weapons against Russia or Belarus.
Nuclear deterrence has long been a fundamental aspect of Russian military strategy, and this revision appears to expand the definition of what constitutes aggression against Russia. Peskov highlighted that the aim of nuclear deterrence is to ensure that any potential adversary comprehends the certainty of retaliation in the event of aggression against Russia or its allies.
This shift in Russia's nuclear doctrine comes in response to the Biden administration's decision to permit Ukraine to deploy powerful long-range American weapons within Russia. The Russian government has expressed concerns that such a move could lead to a dangerous escalation in the conflict in Ukraine.
