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Putin's proposal to change Russia's nuclear doctrine should be considered a signal to the West and a “warning about the consequences of a possible attack” on Russia, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, as cited by TASS.
He placed a special emphasis on the deterrent role played by Russia's nuclear arsenal, saying “the whole world is well aware of it,” but evaded the question of whether the Russian side intends to lift the moratorium on nuclear tests.
On September 25, Putin spoke before a Russian Security Council meeting on nuclear deterrence and called for a review of Russia's nuclear doctrine. The most important change he proposed was the possibility of using nuclear weapons in the event of aggression by any non-nuclear weapon state with the support of a nuclear power. In other words, Putin hinted that he could use nuclear weapons against Ukraine if Kyiv were granted permission to fire Western missiles at targets on Russian territory.
In addition, the Russian president noted that nuclear weapons could now be used in the event of aggression against Belarus. He accused the West of “constantly upping the stakes, escalating the situation” and said that for Russia, a strategic defeat would mean “the end of thousands of years of history.” In such a case, he said, “there is nothing to fear” and “it’s better to go all the way.” Putin characterized this approach as “basic formal logic.”