LONDON — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that new changes to Russia’s nuclear weapons doctrine, signed by President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, mean that “the use of non-nuclear Western rockets by the forces Ukrainian armies against Russia can trigger a nuclear response.
Peskov’s remarks come shortly after three U.S. officials confirmed to ABC News that President Joe Biden had approved Ukraine’s use of the U.S.-made MGM-140 military long-range tactical missile system – colloquially known as name ATACMS – to strike targets in western Russia. Kursk region.
The administration has not publicly confirmed the policy change. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters at a press briefing Monday that he would neither confirm nor deny approval of ATACMS use in Russia, but said that the US response to military cooperation between Russia and North Korea in this war “would be firm”.
There are now some 10,000 North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region for deployment to the battlefield, U.S. officials said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is pictured on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, October 24, 2024.
Maxim Shemetov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine were unveiled several weeks ago but signed by Putin only on Tuesday, as Moscow officials expressed anger over the U.S. decision to authorize the use of ATACMS on the Russian territory.
The doctrine now states that Russia can launch a nuclear attack against a country assisting a non-nuclear country in an aggression against Russia that seriously threatens the integrity of the country’s state.
Moscow has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine and its Western partners throughout its full-scale invasion of the country.
Western leaders, including President Joe Biden, have said avoiding a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO is a top priority given the danger of nuclear war.
This is a developing story. Please check again for updates.
