Putin adviser says Russia 'must be ready' to implement nuclear war policy

Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Russian President Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov accused Western countries of prolonging the conflict, adding that Moscow “must be ready” to implement its revised nuclear doctrine, as reported by Russian state media Tass on Sunday.

The media reported that in an interview with Russian state media VGTRK, Peskov said: “We can see how Western countries are increasingly interfering in (the Ukraine conflict). They do not initiate (the conflict), but rather declare their intention to continue to help Ukraine win.”

Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have provided diplomatic and military assistance to Ukraine throughout the war after Russia invaded the Eastern European country in February 2022.

Tensions between NATO countries and the Kremlin continue as NATO leaders have increasingly warned that direct conflict with Moscow poses a realistic threat as the country has more nuclear warheads, according to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICANW). than any other country. This came after Putin and senior Russian officials repeatedly threatened nuclear escalation against Kiev and its Western partners.

On Wednesday, Putin announced a revision of Moscow's nuclear doctrine and, according to Peskov, the changes are now being formalized. Peskov added that “the way tensions increased near our borders and nuclear powers became involved in the conflict necessitated changes to nuclear doctrine,” according to Tass. “Against this background, it is imperative that we make decisions and be prepared to implement them.”

During a televised meeting of the Russian Security Council on Wednesday, the Russian leader said an attack that poses a critical threat to Russia's sovereignty could be carried out by a non-nuclear power with the participation or support of a nuclear power. This could lead to possible nuclear escalation and retaliation.

No countries were mentioned, but the context was clear – as there was increased use of American, British and French missiles on Russian targets by Ukraine during the war. Putin's comments came a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's personal plea on Thursday to US lawmakers in Washington, DC, for more long-range missiles to strike Russia.

Newsweek contacted the Kremlin press office via email on Sunday seeking comment.

A spokesman for the US State Department said this Newsweek On Sunday, he indicated in an email that the ministry was “not surprised” by Putin's comments, saying they “highlight Russia's attempts to use irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and use coercive nuclear signals, as it has done for more than two years.” “has done against Ukraine for years.”

The spokesman added: “Neither the United States nor NATO pose a threat to Russia, and irresponsible Russian nuclear rhetoric will not improve Russia’s security. We will continue to support Ukraine in defending its people and sovereign territory from Russian aggression.”

Other experts were also not surprised by the Russian president's rhetoric, and some like Gustav Gressel, senior political scientist at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said Putin's comments did not signal any changes to Russia's nuclear posture. “It’s a bluff,” he said Newsweek earlier this week. “If they were serious, we would all have already experienced a nuclear escalation.”

Putin had previously approved tactical nuclear weapons exercises, and in August Russia prepared “units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.

According to a 2024 report by the Federation of American Scientists, Russia has an estimated 5,580 nuclear warheads, while the United States has 5,044.