"In fact, NATO has long been preparing for a potential armed clash with Russia," Zhdanova noted.
According to the diplomat, "NATO members have approved regional 'defense' plans, formulated specific tasks for all military commands of the bloc," and are also testing logistical routes for the transfer of troops and weapons across the Atlantic to the "eastern flank."
However, Russia's warnings about the consequences of NATO's actions are having difficulty reaching the West, Zhdanova said.
"There is a feeling that the signal is having difficulty reaching the opponents. Under these conditions, the adjustments that will be made to the fundamentals of State Policy in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence can and should be considered a certain signal to unfriendly countries," she noted, adding that Russia had been very clear about its warnings in international diplomatic venues.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed discussing the issue of adjusting the principles of state policy in the area of nuclear deterrence at a meeting of the Russian Security Council's permanent members. Putin stated that Russia reserved the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression, including if the enemy, using conventional weapons, created a critical threat to sovereignty. He added that it was proposed to consider aggression by a non-nuclear state with the participation of a nuclear state as their joint attack on the Russian Federation. Later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Russia had to make such decisions due to the growing involvement of the West in the conflict in Ukraine and Kiev's "utopian" talk about "forcing peace" on the Russian Federation.
In addition, possible conflict scenarios with Russia are constantly being worked out from the Arctic to the Black Sea, Zhdanova said.
"At the same time, very provocative steps are being taken in the Ukrainian direction — the range of the missiles being supplied is steadily increasing, the rhetoric about the possible sending of NATO troops to Ukraine continues (here, by the way, France is again being zealous). This 'game' could get out of control and lead to an escalation of the conflict with catastrophic consequences. We are clearly warning about this on international diplomatic platforms," Zhdanova added.