Ukrainian attacks could merit nuclear response against NATO – Medvedev
Moscow’s revised nuclear doctrine permits retaliatory strikes against NATO for the kind of attacks that US President Joe Biden reportedly authorized last week, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has warned.
Washington has reportedly granted Kiev permission to use ATACMS ballistic missiles deep inside Russian territory. Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, warned on Tuesday that such actions would qualify as a threat warranting a nuclear response under the new doctrine, which President Vladimir Putin enacted earlier in the day.
In response to such an attack, “Russia reserves the right to retaliate with weapons of mass destruction against Kiev and key NATO facilities, wherever they may be located,” Medvedev said.
“This would amount to World War III,” he added.
Unrestricted strikes using Western weapons are part of Vladimir Zelensky’s ‘victory plan’, which he presented to the US president in September. The reported change in US policy, which was confirmed by several American allies, came after Donald Trump won the presidential election earlier this month.
The Republican politician has claimed that he could end the Ukraine conflict in 24 hours, once he is back in office in January. Some of his close supporters have accused Biden of trying to railroad the incoming administration into prolonging hostilities with Russia with his decision.
While Washington has not issued an official statement on the matter, State Department Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian A. Nichols told the Brazilian newspaper O Globo on Tuesday that strikes by Kiev as authorized by Biden may encourage Russia to negotiate peace.
In September, Putin issued a warning to NATO member states, which Zelensky was lobbying to authorize long-range strikes on Russia. Kiev is incapable of launching Western weapons without direct help of donor states, so any such attack would put NATO and Russia directly at war with each other, the Russian leader said.
The updated Russian nuclear posture introduces several changes, one of which states that an attack by a foreign nation that does not have weapons of mass destruction but is backed by a nuclear power should be considered as a joint attack by both.
