Russia maintains military doctrine despite US plans to withdraw from INF
(Baonghean.vn) - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov announced on November 23 that Russia has no intention of changing its military doctrine despite the US's plan to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
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| Illustration photo. Photo: TASS |
Ryabkov said Russia's military doctrine includes two scenarios in which Russia could use nuclear weapons, both of which are "purely hypothetical." The first scenario envisions the use of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction against Russia, and the second is an aggression against Russia with conventional weapons of such magnitude that it threatens Russia's existence, the Russian diplomat said.
Mr. Ryabkov stressed that Russia will stick to this doctrine, although he admitted that Russia could react to possible changes in Europe or other regions to ensure the country's own security, if the US withdraws from the INF Treaty.
Russian officials asserted that if Moscow has not received any official notification about the US withdrawal from the INF, the issue can only be discussed "at the general theoretical level".
Moscow continues dialogue with Washington on the implementation of the INF Treaty and has issued statements rejecting US accusations that Russia has violated the treaty. Mr. Ryabkov stressed that Russia believes that this treaty is of great value for European, global and Russian security./.
