Putin's nuclear doctrine update misinterpreted in social media videos

dw.com

Videos claiming that President Vladimir Putin threatened to use nuclear weapons in response to U.S. missile support for Ukraine are misleading. The videos are from a September meeting discussing Russia's nuclear doctrine, not a reaction to recent events. Putin's updated nuclear doctrine allows for a nuclear response to a broader range of threats, including conventional attacks supported by nuclear states. This change was formalized in a decree signed by Putin earlier this week. There has been no official response from Putin regarding President Biden's recent announcement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the use of missiles by Ukraine would escalate the conflict and emphasized that NATO's involvement is a key concern.


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