Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned that actions by the US and its allies could prompt Russia to revise its nuclear doctrine.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the BRICS foreign ministers' conference being held in Nizhny Novgorod (Russia), Deputy Minister Ryabkov admitted that the international situation is becoming increasingly complicated and did not rule out the possibility of Moscow changing its nuclear doctrine.
“The growing challenges posed by the escalatory and unacceptable actions of the United States and its NATO allies certainly raise questions about how to better adapt nuclear deterrence documents to current needs,” the senior diplomat stressed.
When asked further, Deputy Minister Ryabkov refused to disclose details of the amendment, saying that it would be necessary to wait until an actual decision was made before it could be made public.
Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov's comments came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin once again stressed Moscow's stance on nuclear weapons as a last resort. Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) last week, the leader made it clear that Russia had never been the initiator of provocative nuclear measures.
“The current nuclear doctrine of the country allows the use of nuclear weapons only in exceptional cases, and the current situation has not really reached that level,” Putin said in his speech. He expressed hope that a full-scale nuclear war would not break out, adding that such a conflict would lead to unlimited casualties for everyone.
In addition, President Putin also warned NATO countries not to use aggressive words and actions, because they would certainly suffer the heaviest losses in the event of a global nuclear conflict, and said that the US would not really help its allies.