The Kremlin stated on Tuesday that individuals should revisit a warning issued by President Vladimir Putin, who cautioned that the West would be directly engaging in combat with Russia if it permitted Ukraine to attack Russian territory using Western-made long-range missiles. These remarks were made during a conference call when queried about whether allowing Kyiv to proceed with such strikes might compel Moscow to alter its stance on nuclear testing.
Russia has no intention of testing a nuclear weapon as long as the United States abstains from doing so, according to Putin's arms control envoy, who addressed this matter on Monday amidst speculation that the Kremlin might abandon its post-Soviet nuclear test moratorium.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov urged, "Please re-listen and re-read the statements that the president has made on this issue—I refer to the topic of possible permission for the use of Western weapons deep into the territory of Russia," when questioned if the stance articulated by Ryabkov could shift.
Putin's position was clearly outlined during his address in St. Petersburg. On September 12, he declared: "If this decision (on missiles) is made, it will signify nothing less than the direct involvement of NATO countries, the United States, and European nations in the war in Ukraine. This will be their direct participation, and this, of course, will significantly alter the very essence, the very nature of the conflict."
Russia would be compelled to implement what Putin termed "appropriate decisions" in response to these new threats. Although he did not specify what these measures might entail, he has previously mentioned the possibility of arming the West's adversaries with Russian weapons to target Western interests abroad. In June, he also alluded to the deployment of conventional missiles within striking distance of the United States and its European allies.
As the world's largest nuclear power, Russia is also in the midst of revising its nuclear doctrine—the conditions under which Moscow would employ nuclear weapons. In St. Petersburg in June, Putin asserted that the West was mistaken in assuming Russia would never use nuclear weapons, emphasizing that the Kremlin's nuclear doctrine should not be underestimated.
