What’s New
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has reiterated a nuclear weapons warning against countries “testing our resolve,” saying Moscow will safeguard its national interest “by any means necessary.”
Newsweek reached out to the Russian government via online form for comment Wednesday morning.
Why It Matters
Throughout the Russia-Ukraine war, Moscow has warned the West against escalating tensions, using its nuclear stockpile to remind other countries what Russia is capable of. Russia has the largest nuclear stockpile in the world, with the U.S. closely following. Combined, Moscow and Washington have control of roughly 90 percent of the world’s nuclear warheads.
Putin updated Russia’s nuclear doctrine in November, lowering the threshold for Moscow to use its enormous nuclear weapons stockpile. The new doctrine allows for a potential nuclear response by Russia even to a conventional attack by a country that is supported by a nuclear power. This would theoretically put Ukraine at risk of a nuclear attack since the U.S. is backing Kyiv.
What To Know
Lavrov said on Russian television, according to a Wednesday report by the Russian state news agency Tass: “We do not aim to escalate the risks of nuclear weapon usage as we strongly uphold the principle that there are no winners in a nuclear conflict.”
“However, I would caution against testing our resolve and commitment to safeguarding our legitimate national interests by any means necessary,” he added.
The foreign minister blamed the West for the continuing dialogue about potential nuclear war.
“We have never initiated discussions about what to do with nuclear weapons and whether it’s possible to use them,” Lavrov said on Russian television. “On the contrary, it was at Russia’s initiative that the Gorbachev-Reagan formula that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and it should never be unleashed was reinstated first at the level of Putin and Biden and later, at the level of the five nuclear countries that are the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.”
He added: “All other proposals, including concepts for a nuclear war or similar statements, have exclusively originated from Western capitals.”
Lavrov accused multiple member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of making threatening statements about their nuclear stockpiles or the potential use of nuclear weapons.
What People Are Saying
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the head of the British military, said in a speech in London on December 4: “From Russia, we have seen wild threats of tactical nuclear use, large scale nuclear exercises and simulated attacks against NATO countries.”
This is “all designed to coerce us from taking the action required to maintain stability,” Radakin said.
NATO countries are staring down the “dawn of a third nuclear age,” Radakin added, coming out of the previous era of disarmament pushes and counter-proliferation, which followed the initial burst of nuclear arms races in the depths of the Cold War.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters in November: “We aren’t surprised by Russia’s update to its nuclear doctrine…It’s the same irresponsible rhetoric that we’ve seen before and that we’ve seen frankly for the past two years.
“So, it’s something that we’re going to continue to monitor, but we don’t have any indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon within Ukraine. And we don’t see any changes that need to be made to our own nuclear posture as well.”
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Department of Defense via email for comment Wednesday morning on Lavrov’s remarks.
What Happens Next
February 24, 2025, will mark the third anniversary of the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, which began when Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Kyiv has put up a surprisingly good fight against Moscow with the help of its Western allies. U.S. President Joe Biden has been a close ally to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, with President-elect Donald Trump replacing Biden in January, America’s position in the war may change.
The post Putin Ally Reiterates Nuclear Warning: ‘Any Means Necessary’ appeared first on Newsweek.
