Russia says it will change nuclear doctrine because of Western role in Ukraine
Mark Trevelyan, Reuters, September 1, 2024 London - Russia will make changes to its doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons in response to what it regards as Western escalation in the war in Ukraine, state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Sunday. The existing nuclear doctrine, set out in a decree by President Vladimir Putin in 2020, says Russia may use nuclear weapons in the event of a nuclear attack by an enemy or a conventional attack that threatens the existence of the state. Putin said in June that the nuclear doctrine was a "living instrument" that could change, depending on world events. Ryabkov's comments on Sunday were the clearest statement yet that changes would indeed be made. Putin said on day one of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that anyone who tried to hinder or threaten it would suffer "consequences that you have never faced in your history". Since then, he has issued a series of further statements that the West regards as nuclear threats, and announced the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Russia has more nuclear weapons than any other country. Putin said in March that Moscow was ready for the eventuality of a nuclear war "from a military-technical point of view". He said, however, that he saw no rush towards nuclear confrontation and that Russia had never faced a need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Excerpted from https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-will-change-nuclear-doctrine-due-wests-actions-ukraine-official-says-2024-09-01/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#31923): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/31923 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/108097276/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
