Amid war in Ukraine, Putin suggests changing Russia’s ‘no first use’ nuclear policy

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that Moscow may formally change its military doctrine of not being the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.

Speaking on Friday at a news conference in the Kyrgyzstan capital Bishkek, Putin, who had previously criticized the 'no first use' nuclear policy as providing the military with limited options, said that Moscow may decide to indoctrinate the preemptive nuclear strike concept that the Americans have formulated in their military strategy.

“They (the US) have it in their strategy, in the documents it is spelled out – a preventive blow. We don’t. We, on the other hand, have formulated a retaliatory strike in our strategy,” Putin said, pointing out that, “this means that the fall of the warheads of enemy missiles on the territory of the Russian Federation is inevitable – they will still fall.”

Putin said the Americans' policy was not to exclude the possibility of a “disarming” nuclear strike, while Russia’s strategy has been to use nuclear weapons as a last resort.

“So if we’re talking about this disarming strike, then maybe think about adopting the best practices of our American partners and their ideas for ensuring their security. We’re just thinking about it. No one was shy when they talked about it out loud in previous times and years,” he said.

“If a potential adversary believes it is possible to use the theory of a preventive strike, and we do not, then this still makes us think about those threats that are posed to us.”

Putin said Russia’s present nuclear doctrine was based on the “launch on warning” concept, which envisions nuclear weapons' use in the face of an imminent nuclear attack spotted by its early warning systems.

“When the early warning system receives a signal about a missile attack, we launch hundreds of missiles that are impossible to stop,” he said. “Enemy missile warheads would inevitably reach the territory of the Russian Federation. But nothing would be left of the enemy too, because it's impossible to intercept hundreds of missiles. And this, of course, is a factor of deterrence.”

Putin: West's desire for dominance risks triggering more conflicts

Russian President Vladimir Putin says the West’s desire to maintain its hegemony on the world stage is increasing the risks of conflict, slamming the US and its allies for using Ukraine as "cannon fodder".

Putin’s comments come days after he warned of the “increasing” threat of a war amid rising NATO-Russia tensions over Ukraine.

“The potential for conflict in the world is growing and this is a direct consequence of the attempts by Western elites to preserve their political, financial, military, and ideological dominance by any means,” Putin said. “They deliberately multiply chaos and aggravate the international situation.”

In Washington, advisers to President Joe Biden viewed Putin’s comments as “saber-rattling” and another veiled warning that he could deploy a tactical nuclear weapon, according to a US official who was not authorized to comment and spoke on the condition of the anonymity.

The official noted that Russian military doctrine has long stated that Moscow reserves the right to first use of a nuclear weapon in response to large scale military aggression.

Also, Biden administration officials have previously said that Moscow has been warned at the highest levels of the consequences for the use of nuclear weapons in the war.

In the meantime, Moscow said its infrastructure had been targeted in several drone attacks carried out by the Kiev forces.

Moscow accuses Ukraine of drone attacks inside Russia

Russia has accused Ukraine of using drones to attack a number of military airfields inside Russian territory.

Both Russia and Ukraine have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks, with each side blaming the other for targeting infrastructure.

Russia started its military operation in Ukraine on February 24. At the time, Putin said the objective of the operation was to "de-Nazify" pro-Moscow regions in eastern Ukraine.

Since the onset of the war, the United States and its European allies have sent numerous batches of advanced weapons to Kiev, while imposing an array of sanctions against Moscow.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir