Vladimir Putin escalated his nuclear threats against the West on Wednesday, saying that any attack on Russia using conventional weapons supported by a nuclear power would now be perceived as a joint strike.
The Russian president told his security council that he needed to “correct” the Kremlin’s nuclear doctrine to permit a retaliatory nuclear strike in the event of a conventional missile attack on Russia.
“Aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear state, but with the participation or support of a nuclear state, is treated as a joint attack on the Russian Federation,” he said.
Previously, Russia’s nuclear doctrine had only allowed it to launch a nuclear strike after a direct attack by an enemy armed with nuclear weapons. Ukraine does not have any nuclear missiles.
Putin said that the “emergence of new sources of military threats and risks for Russia” meant that he had no choice but to update Russia’s nuclear doctrine.