Russian Military Doctrine Allows No Double Interpretations on Use of Nuclear Arms: Moscow

On Thursday, the US Department of Defense released the National Defense Strategy, which characterizes Russia as an "acute threat." The document characterizes Russia as posing a more immediate threat to US interests and values than China, which is characterized as a "pacing challenge." According to the strategy, Washington wants to extend its 75-year record of not using nuclear weapons and aims to reduce the risk of a nuclear war.

"I can say that we are following very closely, both militarily and politically, the overall evolution of strategies of Western nuclear-weapon states, including the United Kingdom, France, and, above all, the US. We are also following developments in the means of delivery and the weapons itself," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik.

The deputy minister added that Moscow has repeatedly voiced concerns about this issue.

"The language of nuclear strategies is quite blurry, and we see an increase in the number of scenarios that allow the use of nuclear weapons, including [scenarios] outside the nuclear context. By the way, this also applies to the French Nuclear Strategy," Grushko said.

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"Our nuclear doctrine and the relevant documents concerning the possible use of nuclear weapons, they are very precise and do not allow any double interpretations. They clearly say that, outside the nuclear context, nuclear weapons can be used only if there is a threat to the very existence of the state. That is it. This is an absolutely clear criterion," the deputy minister said.

US Nuclear Bombs in Europe

At the same time, Grushko noted that Moscow would take into account the modernization of US nuclear bombs deployed in European countries, as well as the strengthening of the nuclear component in NATO military plans. Russia to take all necessary measures to ensure its security and defense capability, he stressed.

"We cannot but notice plans to modernize nuclear weapons, those free-fall bombs that are in Europe. The US is modernizing them, increasing their accuracy and reducing the power of a nuclear charge, that is, they are turning these weapons into a ‘battlefield weapon,’ thereby reducing the nuclear threshold," Grushko said.

According to him, Moscow is also taking into account the replacement of means of delivery for these types of weapons.

"The US is forcing its allies to purchase F-35 aircraft and is taking other measures to increase the ability of the alliance countries to overcome access blocking zones. This is also a reality that we must take into account both in the political sense and in our military planning," Grushko noted.

He added that NATO "has already taken decisions to strengthen the nuclear component in the alliance's military plans, make it more visible, increase the number of exercises with a nuclear scenario, involve US strategic aviation in the exercises, which has become fly into the United Kingdom and then fly along our borders."

Moreover, NATO is not going to refuse joint nuclear missions, which contradict the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Grushko said, adding that the agreement prohibits the transfer of control over nuclear weapons to non-nuclear states.

U.S. Secretary for Defense Lloyd J. Austin III speaks during a media conference after a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels

The combination of these factors is the reason for taking all the necessary measures to ensure Russia's security and defense, Grusko noted.

On Thursday, the Politico newspaper reported that the United States accelerated the deployment of a modernized B61-12 nuclear bomb at NATO bases in Europe. The delivery of the upgraded version of the bomb was originally planned for the spring of 2023. However, according to a diplomatic cable, US officials told NATO allies during a closed meeting in Brussels in October that the deployment is now planned for December this year.