VLADIVOSTOK, September 4. /TASS/. The need for correcting Russia's nuclear doctrine is due to the irresponsible position of the West and the policies of escalation by the United States and its NATO allies, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a news briefing on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum.
"This work stems primarily from the global and regional challenges to international security, which are multiplying due to the absolutely irresponsible position of the West and unacceptable, escalating actions by the United States and its NATO allies," Zakharova said.
As she pointed out, Russia has many times warned the West and is warning it again that such a policy is fraught with strategic risks. Moscow hopes that the West's "reason will prevail over other reflexes, emotions or feelings" and its representatives will "radically change their destructive course," Zakharova stated.
Earlier, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS that Russia would change its nuclear doctrine based on the analysis of recent conflicts and the West's actions in connection with the special military operation. This work is at an advanced stage, he said. The senior diplomat specified that the changes to Russia's nuclear doctrine will affect the basics of Russia’s nuclear deterrence policy.
According to the Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence of 2020, the use of nuclear weapons by Russia is possible, if the enemy uses these or other weapons of mass destruction against Russia and its allies, if reliable information has been received about the launch of ballistic missiles to attack Russia and its allies, if the enemy affects the facilities necessary for retaliatory actions of nuclear forces, as well as in the case of aggression against Russia with conventional weapons jeopardizing the very existence of its statehood.