After February’s invasion of Ukraine, the threat of a nuclear war returned to the forefront of the international scene, underscoring the erosion of the global security framework from the Cold War era.
By Belga
LRussian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia could change its military doctrine by introducing the possibility of pre-emptive strikes to disarm the enemy.
Responding to a journalist’s question during a visit to Bishkek, he asked for clarification on his statement on the use of nuclear weapons earlier this week.
The risk of nuclear war is growing, but Mr Putin told reporters days after Russia warned it would not strike first that Moscow was considering accepting Washington’s idea of nuclear war.
“First, the US developed the concept of a pre-emptive strike. Second, they are creating a strike system aimed at disarmament” (the enemy), President Putin told reporters following his visit to Kyrgyzstan. He said that Moscow should think about accepting “ideas that the Americans have to ensure their own security”. However, “we are thinking about it,” he said.
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The Russian president also said his country’s cruise missiles and hypersonic systems are “more modern and more efficient” than those of the United States. On Wednesday, Mr Putin pledged that Moscow would not be the first to deploy nuclear weapons. “Russia will not use them first under any circumstances,” he said: “But if it does not use them first under any circumstances, the chances of using them will be second to none in the event of a nuclear attack against our region.
The U.S. State Department condemned the statements, saying, “Any discussion of nuclear weapons, however vague, is completely irresponsible. »
Russian military setbacks in recent months have raised fears that Moscow plans to reverse course by resorting to its nuclear arsenal.
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