Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, a best friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, reiterated his wariness about nuclear weapons in the face of countries that “test our resolve,” saying Moscow will safeguard its national interests “whatever measures are necessary. “
Newsweek reached out to the Russian government via an online form for comment Wednesday morning.
Throughout the war between Russia and Ukraine, Moscow has warned the West to oppose escalating tensions, using its nuclear arsenal to remind other countries of what Russia is capable of. Russia has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, followed largely by the United States. , Moscow and Washington about 90% of the world’s nuclear warheads.
Putin updated Russia’s nuclear doctrine in November, lowering the threshold for Moscow to use its huge arsenal of nuclear weapons. The new doctrine allows a conceivable nuclear reaction through Russia even in the face of a traditional attack through a country subsidized by a nuclear power. This would theoretically put Ukraine at risk of a nuclear attack, since the United States supports kyiv.
Lavrov told Russian television, according to a report published Wednesday by Russia’s official Tass news agency: “We do not seek to increase the dangers related to the use of nuclear weapons, because we firmly defend the precept that in a nuclear conflict there is no There are winners. ” .
“However, I would caution against testing our resolve and commitment to safeguarding our legitimate national interests by any means necessary,” he added.
The Foreign Minister criticized the West for continuing the debate over a possible nuclear war.
“We never started discussions about what to do with nuclear weapons and the option of using them,” Lavrov told Russian television. “On the contrary, it was on Russia’s initiative that the Gorbachev-Reagan formula according to which there can be no winner in a nuclear war and that it will never have to be unleashed was first reinstated, at the behest of Putin and Biden, then , later, in the case of the five nuclear countries that are permanent members of the UN Security Council.
And he added: “All other proposals, which add concepts of nuclear war or declarations, come exclusively from Western capitals. »
Lavrov accused multiple member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of making threatening statements about their nuclear stockpiles or the potential use of nuclear weapons.
Admiral Tony Radakin, the head of the British military, said in a December 4 speech: “From Russia, we have seen wild threats of tactical nuclear use, large-scale nuclear exercises and simulated attacks against NATO countries.”
All of this is “designed to force us to take mandatory measures for stability,” Radakin said.
NATO allies envision “a third nuclear era,” Radadin added, after the past era of disarmament and counterproliferation, which followed the initial outbreak of the nuclear arms race in the depths of the Cold War.
Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters in November: “We aren’t surprised by Russia’s update to its nuclear doctrine…It’s the same irresponsible rhetoric that we’ve seen before and that we’ve seen frankly for the past two years.
“So it’s something that we’re going to continue to monitor, but we have no indication that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine. And we don’t see any adjustments that can be made to our policy,” he said. He added, too, our own nuclear posture. “
Contacted via Newsweek for comment on Lavrov’s comments, the US Department of Defense said: “The branch does not have data and cannot provide it. “
February 24, 2025 will mark the third anniversary of the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which began when Putin announced a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Kiev fought a strangely effective fight against Moscow and its Western allies. U. S. President Joe Biden has been close best friends with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, with Biden replaced by President-elect Donald Trump in January, the U. S. position on the war could change.
Update 12/25/24, 12:51 p. m. ET: This story has been updated with a response from the US Department of Defense.
Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in October 2023. She is a graduate of The State University of New York at Oneonta. You can get in touch with Rachel by emailing [email protected]. Languages: English.