By James Lynch | National Review
Russian president Vladimir Putin revised Russia’s nuclear doctrine Tuesday, reducing its threshold for using nuclear weapons just as the Russian military announced that Ukraine had launched long-range missiles supplied by the U.S. into Russian territory.
Putin’s new nuclear doctrine proclaims that Russia can use nuclear weapons in response to an attack from a non-nuclear state with support from a nuclear state, a clear reference to U.S. support for Ukraine. The doctrine formalizes a policy Putin announced in September during a televised meeting with top officials.
“[Russian] President [Vladimir Putin] gave the relevant instructions prior. The president himself stated that the preparation of the amendments was in the final stage. The updated document was released on schedule,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the state-run Tass news agency.