Russian officials continue to signal that changes are coming in Russia’s nuclear doctrine. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, in a direct response to an Aug. 20 New York Times report on changes in U.S. nuclear doctrine that Biden had approved in March, warned that U.S. policy could severely undermine global security.
In an interview with TASS on Sept. 1, Ryabkov said that while it was premature to comment on the specifics of the new strategy, as it has not yet been publicly announced, the early signs are worrying, reported RT. “Given the overall extremely destructive foreign policy course of Washington, any ‘innovations’ can be expected, including extremely destabilizing ones,” he said.
Ryabkov stressed that Russia is also changing its nuclear doctrine, citing “escalatory” actions by the West amid the Ukraine conflict. The official noted that Russia is currently fine-tuning its nuclear policy, but declined to specify a deadline. This is “quite a complex matter, given that we are talking about the most important aspects of ensuring our national security.”