BAKU, October 3. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin-chaired meeting that discussed amendments to the nuclear doctrine has become a stern warning to Western politicians speculating about the possibility of crossing Russia's red lines in such matters as strikes with long-range weapons, Sergey Naryshkin, the director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), has said.
"According to Russian Foreign Intelligence Service sources, this warning drove the message home in most Western capitals. Although, let me say it again, there remain some irresponsible politicians who are trying to prove that no red lines Russia has drawn should be observed. This is a risky attitude, and I hope that Russia’s warning will come into the minds of a majority of political elites of the Western world," Naryshkin told the media in Baku.
He pointed out that speculations about the possibility of crossing Russia's red lines on the issue of strikes with long-range Western weapons was a great delusion.
"A whole group of irresponsible politicians in the Western countries have thoughts that in order to achieve Russia's strategic defeat the Western countries should not observe any red lines that Russia has drawn. This is seen in the discussions about the possibility of using high-accuracy long-range Western weapon systems to attack targets deep inside Russian territory. This is a great misconception," Naryshkin warned.
The SVR director emphasized that the Putin-chaired meeting sounded a stern warning to such politicians.
"The meeting at the office of Russian President Vladimir Putin where amendments to the nuclear doctrine were discussed sounded a stern warning to irresponsible Western politicians. The main idea voiced at the meeting, to be included in the updated nuclear doctrine, is that from this moment on any act of aggression committed by a non-nuclear state against Russia but with the support of or in conjunction with a nuclear state will be regarded by Russia as their joint attack," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the forthcoming adjustments to the nuclear doctrine on September 25 at a permanent meeting of the Security Council. Among the proposed amendments are the interpretation as an attack any nuclear power’s support for a non-nuclear country that is at war with Russia and guarantees of a nuclear response to an attack on Russia's ally Belarus. The list of countries and military alliances and military threats to which nuclear deterrence applies is to be expanded.