Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent comments on potentially revising the country’s nuclear doctrine should be viewed as a “message to the West.”
“This should clearly be seen as a signal,” Peskov said during a press briefing in Moscow.
He clarified, however, that Russia has no intention of expanding its nuclear arsenal. “No, such plans were neither discussed nor mentioned.”
When asked if lifting the moratorium on nuclear testing was considered in the context of the doctrine review, Peskov responded: “I cannot provide an answer. You saw the open part of the meeting, but the rest was entirely closed.”
Peskov assured that any updates to the nuclear doctrine would be communicated “at the appropriate time.”
During a Security Council meeting on Wednesday, Putin emphasized the need to adjust the nuclear doctrine in response to the “rapidly evolving” military-political situation and “new sources of military threats” to Russia and its allies. He proposed expanding the list of states and alliances subject to nuclear deterrence, while identifying new military threats that could be addressed through nuclear measures.
Putin suggested that any aggression against Russia by non-nuclear states, if supported by nuclear powers, should be treated as a joint attack.
The president also outlined that the updated doctrine would permit the use of nuclear weapons if verified intelligence indicated a large-scale launch of air and space attack systems—such as tactical or hypersonic aircraft, cruise missiles, or drones—entering Russian airspace.
Putin stated that Russia and Belarus reserve the right to use nuclear weapons if they face aggression, particularly as part of the Union State. This includes situations where conventional weapons pose a serious threat to their sovereignty.
