Putin says Russia reserves right to use nuclear weapons if Belarus is attacked

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that his country reserves the right to use nuclear weapons should an attack take place on neighboring Belarus, its ally in the war on Ukraine.

“We reserve the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression against Russia or Belarus,” Putin said during a Russian Security Council meeting in Moscow on nuclear deterrence, indicating that this issue has been agreed upon with Minsk.

Asserting this right, Putin cited Belarus as a member of the Union State the two countries founded under a 1999 treaty under which they have worked to move closer, a process that has accelerated in recent years.

Putin said that a number of clarifications to Russia’s nuclear doctrine were proposed following work by the country’s Defense and Foreign ministries, as well as other departments, over the past year.

He said that in the updated version of the doctrine, “aggression” against Russia by any non-nuclear state, with the participation or support of a nuclear country, will be deemed a joint attack on Moscow.

“The conditions for Russia's transition to the use of nuclear weapons are also clearly stated. We will consider this possibility upon receipt of reliable information about a massive launch of air and space attack weapons and their crossing of our state border,” Putin added.

The statements came as Ukraine has reportedly been pressuring the US to allow it to launch attacks deeper into Russian territory as it continues to fight off the war Moscow launched on it over 2 1/2 years ago.

In 2020, Putin outlined when Moscow could utilize its nuclear arsenal after signing an executive order on its nuclear deterrence policy.

The doctrine allows Moscow to use nuclear weapons on the condition of a nuclear attack by an enemy or a conventional attack that threatens Russia's existence.

Earlier this month, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told state news agency Tass that work on updating the country’s nuclear doctrine is at an “advanced stage,” and that that there is a “clear directive to make adjustments.”​​​​​​​