Russia explains why it did not use nuclear weapons in Ukraine
Moscow says its nuclear doctrine is clear and the current conflict in Ukraine does not meet any of the criteria.
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The RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile during a test launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia, April 24, 2022. Photo: Russian Defense Ministry/Sputnik |
The head of Moscow’s delegation to the UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference in New York, Andrey Belousov, said on August 5 that allegations of Russia threatening to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine were “unconfirmed and baseless.”
“This is impossible because Russia's doctrinal guidelines strictly limit emergency situations in which it is assumed that nuclear weapons can be used, namely in response to aggression involving weapons of mass destruction, or in response to aggression involving conventional weapons, where the state's very existence is threatened,” Belousov explained, RT reported.
“There is no hypothetical scenario that fits the situation in Ukraine,” the official said.
The Russian diplomat also dismissed insinuations that Moscow had placed its nuclear deterrent on “high alert,” explaining that the current state of “increased alertness,” with additional personnel on duty at strategic command posts, was “completely different” from “the actual state of high alert of strategic nuclear forces.”
Although Mr. Belousov did not name those making the accusations against Russia, his response came after the Ukrainian delegation to the NPT conference on August 3 accused Moscow of pursuing “nuclear terrorism” and “openly threatening the world with the possibility of using nuclear weapons,” citing statements from “Russian media, think tanks and experts.”
On August 1, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also accused Russia of "recklessly and dangerously drawing the nuclear sword" in front of "supporters of Ukraine's right to self-defense."
Diplomat Belousov argued that any warnings about the “grave danger of nuclear war” that Russian officials have issued in the context of the Ukraine crisis have in fact been directed at NATO, as a way to deter Western countries from direct aggression, as they have “come dangerously close to the brink of a direct armed confrontation with Russia.”
In a letter to participants of the NPT conference on August 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that there would be no winners in a nuclear war and it must never be allowed to happen.
US President Joe Biden said this week that Washington was ready to urgently negotiate “a new arms control framework” with Moscow. However, according to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the US has not yet made any proposals regarding an agreement that could replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
The New START treaty remains the only major arms control agreement between Moscow and Washington still in force. The agreement was set to expire in early 2021, but it was finally saved shortly after President Biden’s inauguration when Washington finally agreed to Moscow’s call to extend the agreement without any preconditions. New START is due to expire in 2026.