NEW YORK, November 22. /TASS/. Some US and European officials are mulling the idea of giving Ukraine back the nuclear weapons it gave up after the collapse of the Soviet Union, The New York Times reported on Friday.

According to the US-based daily, the US and its allies in Europe are in discussions on possible security guarantees that the West could provide to Kiev.

US officials believe that ramping up weapons supplies to Ukraine is unlikely to change the situation in the combat zone short term, but it may help Kiev strengthen its stance in case a truce is reached.

In view of the current developments, Western allies are discussing "deterrence as a possible guarantee of security," providing, for instance, for the deployment of an "arsenal of conventional weapons" on the territory of Ukraine, according to the NYT.

Moreover, some officials put forward a proposal of "returning nuclear weapons to Ukraine that were abandoned in the country following the collapse of the Soviet Union." However, according to the US daily, such a step could entail "serious consequences."

On November 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree approving the Foundations of State Policy in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence, the country’s updated nuclear doctrine.

The fundamental principle of the doctrine is that the use of nuclear weapons is a measure of last resort to protect the country’s sovereignty.

The emergence of new military threats and risks prompted Russia to clarify the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons. In particular, the amended doctrine expands the range of countries and military alliances subject to nuclear deterrence, as well as the list of military threats that such deterrence is designed to counter.

In addition, the document states that Russia will now view any attack by a non-nuclear country supported by a nuclear power as a joint attack. Moscow also reserves the right to consider a nuclear response to a conventional weapons attack threatening its sovereignty, a large-scale launch of enemy aircraft, missiles, and drones targeting Russian territory, their crossing of the Russian border, and an attack on its ally Belarus.