Expert on Russia's plans to change nuclear doctrine: China’s approval needed first

According to Oleksii Izhak, an expert on regional security at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, Moscow is now facing a problem—the world has stopped fearing nuclear weapons because their use is highly restricted.

Current international norms dictate that nuclear weapons can only be used in conflicts between nuclear states. Russia is dissatisfied with this but cannot unilaterally change these rules.

"A situation where nuclear weapons can be used in any way could lead to the whole world becoming nuclear. There are standard 'red lines.' Russia can say whatever it wants, but legitimate 'red lines' are only those agreed upon with other nuclear countries and the world at large," Izhak explained.

First and foremost, according to the expert, the Russian President needs approval from his main ally, China. Beijing’s policy on nuclear weapons dictates that their use is only justified in response to a nuclear strike by another nuclear power.

“Why is Russia doing this? Because it cannot use nuclear weapons if it knows that this will not be accepted by other nuclear states. And they don't accept it because using nuclear weapons for colonial wars is not only prohibited but simply unimaginable. This is not why agreements on non-proliferation were made. But Russia does it publicly because it needs at least China's approval,” the expert said.

What preceded it

Vladimir Putin has once again begun to intimidate the world with nuclear weapons. Yesterday, he announced changes to Russia's nuclear doctrine that will expand the conditions for the use of the nuclear arsenal.

According to him, the new doctrine will provide for the possibility of a nuclear strike in response to aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear state, if it occurs with the participation or support of a nuclear state.

Read what the nuclear doctrine is, what changes Putin announced, and how Ukraine is reacting to it in the material by RBC-Ukraine.