The escalation of tensions following President Joe Biden‘s authorization for Kyiv to use U.S.-made long-range weapons in strikes in Russia and Moscow’s use of a hypersonic ballistic missile on Ukrainian territory have ramped up concerns of potential recourse to nuclear weapons in the conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an updated nuclear doctrine into law last week, lowering the threshold for using the world’s largest atomic weapons arsenal. It allows for a potential nuclear response even to a conventional attack on Russia by any country that is supported by a nuclear power.
Putin also gave a TV address on November 21 discussing Russia’s use of the new hypersonic ballistic missile, Oreshnik, in an attack on Dnipro. After discussing Ukraine’s attack on Russia using U.S.-made ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System), Putin said: “We believe that we have the right to use our weapons against military facilities of the countries that allow to use their weapons against our facilities. And in case of escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond resolutely in a mirror way.”
Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin also threatened a “more powerful” response to further strikes on Russian territory.
Biden had long opposed Ukrainian use of ATACMS for attacks on Russian territory for fear of potential escalation before allowing it as President-elect Donald Trump, who has made clear he wanted a swift end to the war, prepares to enter the White House. The Biden administration also announced it would send antipersonnel land mines to Ukraine. These two moves have also prompted concerns in the U.S. over the risk of escalating the conflict, with Senator Ted Cruz recently saying the president was “pouring gasoline around the White House.”
Newsweek reached out to the Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries outside of regular business hours as well as the White House.
