Putin Threatens Nuclear Retaliation If Kyiv Starts 'Massive Missile Launches'

Putin's comments came at a meeting with his Security Council. He said an attack from a non-nuclear state 'with the participation or support of a nuclear state' would be seen as a 'joint attack'.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said an attack on the country from a non-nuclear state “with the participation or support of a nuclear state” would be considered a “joint attack”. Putin's statement was seen as a warning that Russia could consider using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, a non-nuclear state backed by nuclear armed nations such as the US and the UK.

Putin's comments came at a meeting with his Security Council. At the meeting, Putin said the conditions under which Russia would resort to using nuclear weapons were clearly defined in its doctrine. He said the country would consider such a move if it detected the start of a massive launch of missiles, aircraft or drones against it, according to a report by Reuters.

As he introduced changes in the country's nuclear doctrine, the 71-year-old said Russia reserved the right to use nuclear weapons if it or its ally Belarus faced any aggression, including attacks using conventional weapons. Ukraine has dismissed the remarks as "nuclear blackmail".

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has for months been asking permission to use British Storm Shadow missiles (long-range cruise missiles) and US-made Atacms missiles (supersonic battlefield range missiles) to hit targets deeper inside Russia, reported The Guardian.

On Thursday, Zelenskyy will meet President Joe Biden in Washington, where Kyiv’s request will be at the top of the agenda. This year, Ukraine has pushed into Russian territory. Kyiv wants to target bases inside Russia, which it says are sending missiles into Ukraine, BBC reported. 

According to BBC, responding to Putin’s remarks, Zelenskyy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said Russia "no longer has anything other than nuclear blackmail to intimidate the world". Ukraine said such remarks were a bid to deter foreign countries from helping Ukraine. 

Russia’s ally China has also called for calm, according to BBC, with President Xi Jinping warning Putin against using nuclear weapons. 

However, following the meeting with his Security Council, Putin said the new nuclear doctrine will clearly state “the conditions for Russia to transition to using nuclear weapons”, scenarios that will include conventional missile strikes against Moscow.

“The nuclear triad remains the most important guarantee of ensuring the security of our state and citizens, an instrument for maintaining strategic parity and balance of power in the world,” Putin was quoted as saying by Reuters. 

According to the BBC, since the end of World War 2, nuclear-armed nations have adhered to a policy of deterrence, based on the idea that any major attack between warring states would result in mutually assured destruction. However, it noted that there are tactical nuclear weapons designed to hit targets without widespread radioactive fallout.

As per BBC, in June, Putin warned European countries supporting Ukraine, saying Russia had “many more [tactical nuclear weapons] than there are on the European continent, even if the United States brings theirs over.” “Europe does not have a developed [early warning system],” he added. “In this sense they are more or less defenceless.”