Russia Moves Ahead With Nuclear Doctrine Change In Warning To US

President Vladimir Putin pushed ahead with a pledge to update Russia’s nuclear doctrine to expand the conditions for using atomic weapons, days after the US gave Ukraine limited permission for long-range missile strikes on Russian territory.

Putin signed a decree allowing Russia to fire nuclear weapons in response to a massive conventional attack on its soil, including by drones. Russia will view aggression against itself or its allies by a non-nuclear state backed by a nuclear power as a joint attack, the document posted online said. That follows a pledge Putin made in September to revise the doctrine in that manner.

Government bonds and traditional haven currencies including the Japanese yen and Swiss franc surged as investors rushed to buy the safest assets. The German 10-year yield fell as much as eight basis points to its lowest since October.

Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed that Russia would consider an attack by Ukraine using Western missiles as a strike by a non-nuclear state supported by a nuclear power.

“The Russian Federation retains the right to use nuclear weapons in the case of aggression using conventional weapons against it” that poses a critical threat to sovereignty or territorial integrity, Peskov said according to the state-run Tass news service.

The Russian leader has warned the US and its European allies against allowing Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia using Western long-range high-precision weapons, saying this would bring them into direct conflict with his country. 

The Biden administration approved the use of American-made ATACMS missiles by Kyiv to hit military targets inside Russia. Ukraine has been firing its home-made drones deep into Russia for months, but the US weapons are more destructive.

Officials in Ukraine have said they need the capability to hit the air bases and planes Russia uses for glide-bomb and missile attacks.