Russia does not intend to use nuclear weapons in the current conflict with Ukraine. This was announced on Saturday, May 28, by Russian Ambassador to London Andrey Kelin.
“We have a strict list of conditions for the use of tactical nuclear weapons. Basically, we are talking about [situations] when the existence of the state is threatened. This has nothing to do with the current operation, ”he explained in an interview with the BBC.
The ambassador stressed that Moscow is acting in accordance with military doctrine.
Earlier, on May 19, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova spoke about the failed attempts by the media to attribute threats to the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, recalling that Russia’s principled position is the inadmissibility of nuclear war.
The day before, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov noted that according to Russian nuclear doctrine, Moscow can only strike back. According to him, the state will not take extreme measures if it is not forced to defend itself.
Prior to that, on May 11, the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, assessed the potential nuclear threat from the Russian Federation. He said that in the present and future, the nuclear arsenal that Russia has presents serious difficulties for the United States.
In turn, on May 13, Senator Alexei Pushkov expressed confidence that NATO’s decision to deploy nuclear weapons in Ukraine could lead to an apocalypse, so this should be ruled out under all circumstances. Thus, Pushkov commented on the words of the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the European Union (EU) Vladimir Chizhov, who, in a conversation with the British television channel Sky News, expressed the hope that NATO would not use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
The diplomat also pointed out that, unlike Washington, Moscow has never even carried out nuclear weapons tests outside the national territory.
On June 2, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the foundations of the state policy in the field of nuclear deterrence. According to the decree, the foundations of Russia’s policy in the field of nuclear deterrence can be specified “depending on external and internal factors affecting the provision of defense.” The general leadership of policy in this area is carried out by the President of the Russian Federation, the Security Council of the Russian Federation forms the main directions of military policy in this area, the Ministry of Defense carries out measures in the field of nuclear deterrence.