Washington is worried Moscow could consider using nuclear weapons, despite the Kremlin saying it views them as a “last resort”
The United States is “very concerned” that Russia could be considering the use of nuclear weapons, outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview with Financial Times published on Saturday.
His comments came in response to questions about Moscow’s alleged “nuclear sabre-rattling,” apparently referring to changes it made in its nuclear doctrine last year.
Russia announced updates to its nuclear doctrine after deliberations by Ukraine’s Western backers, including the US, on whether to allow Ukraine to use foreign-made weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia.
In November, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved changes to the doctrine, expanding the list of conditions that could trigger a nuclear response. The updates include scenarios where aggression by a non-nuclear state or group of states, supported by a nuclear state, could be viewed as a “joint attack.” The document, however, describes nuclear weapons as “an extreme and forced measure” and stresses Moscow’s goal as preventing tensions that could lead to military conflicts, including nuclear ones.
Blinken said Washington views the changes as heightening the risk of nuclear escalation.
“Even if the probability went from 5 to 15%, when it comes to nuclear weapons, nothing is more serious,” Blinken stated. He had previously criticized Russia’s plans to update its doctrine as “irresponsible” when first announced last September.
Blinken also claimed that China may have influenced Russia not to use nuclear weapons.
“We have reason to believe that China engaged Russia and said: ‘Don’t go there’,” he said. Blinken suggested China may have taken similar action when the US accused Russia of planning to deploy nuclear weapons in space, a claim Moscow dismissed as “fake.”
Moscow has the world’s largest nuclear arsenal. Russian officials have repeatedly stated that they consider the use of such weapons to be a “last resort.” After the doctrine update in November, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow “resolutely advocates doing everything to prevent a nuclear war.” He added that Russia’s arsenal is intended as a deterrent to aggression and a means to prevent nuclear conflict.
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The Kremlin has long said, however, that a US military buildup and the deployment of nuclear-capable missiles globally could trigger a proportional response. Last month, Russia and Belarus signed a security treaty that cemented plans to deploy Russian nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic missile systems in Belarus next year. The missiles, which Moscow says cannot be intercepted by existing Western defenses, are capable of reaching targets across Europe within minutes.
