Russian President Vladimir Putin has justified possible changes to the Russian nuclear doctrine with an allegedly lower inhibition threshold among Western states when it comes to using nuclear weapons. “Atomic bombs with low explosive power are being developed in particular,” the Kremlin chief said on Thursday in Hanoi at the end of his visit to Vietnam.
Western experts see nothing wrong with the use of such so-called mini-nukes, as Russia has recognized. “This is also linked to my statement that we are considering possible changes in our strategy.” In English-speaking countries, “nukes” – in German, nuclear – are used to describe atomic bombs.
Russia began its war of aggression against Ukraine more than two years ago. In the course of this war, Moscow has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons if the West intervenes in the conflict.
The current Russian nuclear doctrine states that Moscow may only use nuclear weapons in two cases: in the event of a nuclear attack on Russia or if an attack with conventional weapons threatens the country’s existence. The vague definition has prompted some hardliners to urge the Kremlin to tighten the doctrine in order to force the West to take the warnings more seriously.
Meanwhile, the US government is concerned about Russia’s threat to supply Russian weapons to North Korea in response to arms deliveries to Ukraine. “This would destabilize the Korean peninsula,” warned US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
Depending on the type of weapon, it also violates UN resolutions that Russia itself supported. The US continues to work with South Korea, Japan and other allies to respond to the threat from North Korea.
Putin was received in Pyongyang this week. With regard to Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, the Russian president threatened to deliver precision weapons to North Korea. The West is acting as if it is not fighting with Russia despite its arms deliveries. It allegedly does not control the use of its weapons by Kiev.
In return, however, Russia could also ship its military equipment to other regions of the world and not worry about how it was used, Putin said.
