Putin Says a Nuclear Power Supporting an Attack on Russia Can Be Considered an Aggressor

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that a nuclear power supporting another country’s attack on Russia will be considered a participant in aggression under a new version of Moscow's nuclear doctrine.

Speaking at a meeting of Russia’s Security Council that considered changes in the doctrine, Putin announced that a revised version of the document says that an attack against his country by a nonnuclear power with the support of a nuclear power will be seen as their “joint attack on the Russian Federation.” Putin didn’t specify whether the modified document envisages a nuclear response to such an attack.

The change in the doctrine, which spells out condition for the use of nuclear weapons, follows Putin’s warning to the U.S. and other NATO allies that allowing Ukraine to use Western-supplied long-range weapons for strikes on Russian territory would mean that Russia and NATO are at war.

Since Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, he and other Kremlin voices have frequently threatened the West with Russia's nuclear arsenal to discourage it from ramping up support for Kyiv.

The current doctrine says Moscow could use its nuclear arsenal “in response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it and/or its allies, as well as in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation with the use of conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is in jeopardy.”

The revised version of the document spells out conditions of nuclear weapons use in greater detail, noting they could be used in case of a massive air attack involving aircraft, cruise missiles or drones, he said.