Putin said Wednesday he was issuing a new nuclear doctrine that would allow Moscow to use atomic weapons against non-nuclear states if they are allied with nuclear powers – an apparent reference to Ukraine and its Western backers.
The European Union on Thursday rejected as “reckless and irresponsible” a plan by President Vladimir Putin to authorize a nuclear response to a massive air attack on Russia.
Putin on Wednesday announced an updated nuclear doctrine that would allow the use of atomic weapons against non-nuclear states when they are supported by nuclear powers — an apparent reference to Ukraine and its Western backers.
“Not for the first time, Putin is playing (a) gamble with his nuclear arsenal,” EU foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano told reporters. “We, of course, strongly reject these threats.”
The proposed expansion of Russia’s nuclear rules, which Putin himself has the authority to sign off, comes at a time when Ukraine is asking Western allies for permission to use long-range armament to hit deep into Russia.
Kyiv says that it needs to target Russia’s airfields and military infrastructure, which it utilizes to launch attacks on Ukraine. The United States and other Western countries are cautious about enabling further escalation.
Earlier Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the planned changes should be seen as a “specific signal” to the West.
Western powers have accused Putin of dangerous nuclear saber-rattling throughout the Ukraine conflict. The Kremlin leader has issued multiple apparent threats about Moscow’s willingness to deploy nuclear weapons.
“This is just the continuation of very irresponsible and unacceptable behavior on Putin’s part,” the EU’s Stano said of the latest threat, which came as many world leaders attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
