Experts respond to Russia's revised nuclear policy
The general consensus is that the alterations aim to send a warning to Western nations providing long-range missiles to Ukraine. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Many believe the recent changes serve as a warning to Western nations supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine.
Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine is expected to compel the US and other Western countries to reassess their military support for Ukraine, according to defense and political experts following Vladimir Putin's formal signing of the new rules on Tuesday.
The new doctrine asserts that Moscow reserves the right to contemplate a nuclear response if Russia or Belarus face conventional attacks posing a “critical threat” to their sovereignty or territorial integrity. Moreover, acts of aggression by a non-nuclear nation, involving a nuclear state against Russia, will now be perceived as a collective aggression that could activate this doctrine.
After the revised rules were released, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov clarified that the new doctrine effectively permits Russia to consider a nuclear response to the use of Western-supplied non-nuclear missiles by Kiev targeting Russian territories.
War correspondent Thomas Roeper indicated that outgoing President Joe Biden's decisions complicate the situation for President-elect Donald Trump in seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. “This decision... [allowing Ukraine to shoot] at Russia with long-distance rockets, and the possible answer of Russia, will make it more complicated for Trump to get out of this conflict,” he told RTN on Tuesday.
Political strategist and commentator Anthony Webber suggested that while Vladimir Putin has sought to be cautious to avoid escalation throughout the Ukraine conflict, the current US administration appears to be acting recklessly. “Who knows who’s actually in charge in Washington, but it’s certainly a very reckless decision [to allow Ukraine to use American long-range missiles to strike Russian territory], and encourages some reckless politicians in Europe to follow suit,” he told RT.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of the National Security Council, warned that the new policies could lead to a third world war if Kiev uses NATO weapons against Russia. “In this case, the right arises to launch a retaliatory strike with weapons of mass destruction against Kiev and the main NATO facilities, wherever they are. And this is already WWIII,” he expressed on his Telegram channel, cautioning that Ukraine and its allies should brace for possible retaliatory actions.
Andrey Klimov, deputy chairman of the parliamentary international affairs committee, stated that the updated doctrine would likely be “carefully studied in the near future in unfriendly states” and expressed hope that they would understand that “one should not play with fire.”
Yuri Shvytkin, deputy head of the State Duma Defense Committee, claimed that France and the UK should recognize that any attack on Russia using their weapons would elicit an immediate response from Moscow. “I think that an unambiguous, clear signal has been given to Western countries about the inadmissibility of supplying these types of weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces militants,” Shvytkin said.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Bulavin, head of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, informed TASS that Moscow views nuclear weapons solely as a means of deterrence and considers their use only as a last resort. He noted that the new guidelines are intended to “ensure strategic stability and predictability,” without suggesting “an automatic change in the nature of the actions being taken.”
Ramin Sohrabi for TROIB News
Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine is expected to compel the US and other Western countries to reassess their military support for Ukraine, according to defense and political experts following Vladimir Putin's formal signing of the new rules on Tuesday.
The new doctrine asserts that Moscow reserves the right to contemplate a nuclear response if Russia or Belarus face conventional attacks posing a “critical threat” to their sovereignty or territorial integrity. Moreover, acts of aggression by a non-nuclear nation, involving a nuclear state against Russia, will now be perceived as a collective aggression that could activate this doctrine.
After the revised rules were released, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov clarified that the new doctrine effectively permits Russia to consider a nuclear response to the use of Western-supplied non-nuclear missiles by Kiev targeting Russian territories.
War correspondent Thomas Roeper indicated that outgoing President Joe Biden's decisions complicate the situation for President-elect Donald Trump in seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. “This decision... [allowing Ukraine to shoot] at Russia with long-distance rockets, and the possible answer of Russia, will make it more complicated for Trump to get out of this conflict,” he told RTN on Tuesday.
Political strategist and commentator Anthony Webber suggested that while Vladimir Putin has sought to be cautious to avoid escalation throughout the Ukraine conflict, the current US administration appears to be acting recklessly. “Who knows who’s actually in charge in Washington, but it’s certainly a very reckless decision [to allow Ukraine to use American long-range missiles to strike Russian territory], and encourages some reckless politicians in Europe to follow suit,” he told RT.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of the National Security Council, warned that the new policies could lead to a third world war if Kiev uses NATO weapons against Russia. “In this case, the right arises to launch a retaliatory strike with weapons of mass destruction against Kiev and the main NATO facilities, wherever they are. And this is already WWIII,” he expressed on his Telegram channel, cautioning that Ukraine and its allies should brace for possible retaliatory actions.
Andrey Klimov, deputy chairman of the parliamentary international affairs committee, stated that the updated doctrine would likely be “carefully studied in the near future in unfriendly states” and expressed hope that they would understand that “one should not play with fire.”
Yuri Shvytkin, deputy head of the State Duma Defense Committee, claimed that France and the UK should recognize that any attack on Russia using their weapons would elicit an immediate response from Moscow. “I think that an unambiguous, clear signal has been given to Western countries about the inadmissibility of supplying these types of weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces militants,” Shvytkin said.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Bulavin, head of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, informed TASS that Moscow views nuclear weapons solely as a means of deterrence and considers their use only as a last resort. He noted that the new guidelines are intended to “ensure strategic stability and predictability,” without suggesting “an automatic change in the nature of the actions being taken.”
Ramin Sohrabi for TROIB News
