Putin sends message to those seeking to ‘add fuel to fire’ before Trump’s return — expert

MOSCOW, November 19. /TASS/. By updating its nuclear doctrine, Russia is sending a clear message to NATO forces that seek “to add fuel to the fire” of the Ukrainian conflict ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, Andrey Bystritsky, board chairman of the Valdai International Discussion Club’s Development and Support Foundation, told TASS.
The expert pointed out that the updated nuclear doctrine, approved by a decree from Vladimir Putin, was published amid numerous media reports claiming that the US and some other Western NATO members had decided to allow Kiev to use their long-range weapons for strikes inside Russia. “This is quite an unambiguous warning not to cross certain lines and add fuel to the fire,” the analyst stressed. “The Russian Federation reserves the right to act as it sees fit, up to taking the most extreme measures, if it perceives any threat to its existence,” Bystritsky added.
“Unfortunately, the likelihood of a [direct armed] conflict with NATO is increasing because some individuals in the alliance are ready to raise the stakes ahead of Trump’s inauguration,” the expert emphasized. “These forces seek to put the incoming US administration in a situation where it will have no choice. <…> This is a very dangerous game that stems from major disagreements within the Western bloc. <…> That said, the decree that was signed today is largely a warning and an effort to make these elites, who are inclined to take such radical steps, reconsider the consequences of their actions, and understand the devastating impact it could have on them and their countries,” the analyst concluded.
Earlier on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree approving the Foundations of State Policy in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence, the country’s updated nuclear doctrine. The document has been published.
The fundamental principle of the doctrine is that the use of nuclear weapons is a measure of last resort to protect the country’s sovereignty. The emergence of new military threats and risks prompted Russia to clarify the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons. In particular, the amended doctrine expands the range of countries and military alliances subject to nuclear deterrence, as well as the list of military threats that such deterrence is designed to counter. In addition, the document states that Russia will now view any attack by a non-nuclear country supported by a nuclear power as a joint attack. Moscow also reserves the right to consider a nuclear response to a conventional weapons attack threatening its sovereignty, a large-scale launch of enemy aircraft, missiles, and drones targeting Russian territory, their crossing of the Russian border, and an attack on its ally Belarus.