The US military discussed with colleagues from the Russian Federation a new Russian doctrine of nuclear deterrence during talks in Vienna, Thomas Bussier, deputy head of the US Strategic Command, told the reporters on Wednesday.
“We had the opportunity to briefly discuss our issues and concerns with the Russian general staff, to clarify aspects of this doctrine, published on June 2”, – he said during a telephone briefing.
According to him, the American side also had a desire to discuss not only the significance of this doctrine in order to avoid incorrect interpretations, but also to discuss non-strategic nuclear weapons that were not covered by the START-3 treaty.
“We agreed (with the Russians) that moving forward would be a great opportunity to gain a broader and deeper understanding between the United States and the Russian Federation about what their doctrine means and how non-strategic nuclear weapons that are not covered by the treaty fit into this doctrine”, – Bussier added.
In early June, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the Fundamentals of the state policy of the Russian Federation in the field of nuclear deterrence. The document regulates the conditions under which Russia reserves the right to a nuclear strike, and also describes the main threats to the Russian Federation in the field of nuclear deterrence.
The new doctrine of the Russian Federation implies that Moscow can use nuclear weapons in response to an attack on it or its allies using nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction, or in case of aggression with conventional weapons, if “the very existence of the state is threatened”.
Later, a spokesman for Russian President Dmitry Peskov said the document “clearly states that it could force the Russian Federation to use nuclear weapons, while emphasizing that Russia can never and will not be the initiator of the use of nuclear weapons”.