Moscow: warns of nuclear response if it is attacked by the West
Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if it is confronted by attack by Western countries, Sergei Soigu, a senior Moscow security official, warned on Thursday.
Siigu’s statements to the state -run news agency TASS come as US President Donald Trump and Vice President Jay Di Vans are threatening to abandon the effort to find a solution for Ukraine if there is no progress for a deal.
Soigu, who was Russia’s defense minister for over a decade, until he took over as head of the powerful Security Council in last year’s reshuffle, cited changes to the Moscow nuclear doctrine approved by President Vladimir Putin in November.
Sergei Soigu, right, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2020 (Reuters)
Under the new terms, Russia could respond with nuclear weapons if it or allied Belarus itself is conventional attack that « creates a critical threat of sovereignty and (or) in their territorial integrity ».
As Soigu said, « … in the event that foreign states take non -friendly actions that threaten the rule and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, our country considers it to be legal to use symmetrical and asymmetric measures that are necessary to suppress new actions. »
