'Putin is playing with our fears' — German FM on Russia's updated nuclear doctrine

Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to intimidate the West by expanding the conditions for using nuclear weapons in Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Nov. 19.

Speaking at a news conference in Poland during a meeting of foreign ministers from Germany, Poland, France, and Italy, Baerbock emphasized that Berlin would heed warnings from Ukraine's neighboring countries.

"We will not let ourselves be intimidated," she said, adding that this is not the first time the Kremlin has resorted to nuclear threats.

Putin’s approval of the updated nuclear deterrence policy was confirmed through a presidential decree published on Nov. 19.

The revised doctrine expands scenarios that could justify a nuclear strike, including "aggression against the Russian Federation and its allies by a non-nuclear state with the support of a nuclear state" and large-scale non-nuclear attacks, such as drone strikes.

Baerbock accused Russia of exploiting the West’s fears but highlighted Europe’s unprecedented unity.

"After February 2022, the federal government said it would not repeat this mistake a second time. That's why we are here together, cooperating as Europeans and representing the strongest European countries," she said.

Opinion: Is Russia’s new nuclear doctrine a game of bluff or a shift in strategy?

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a seemingly significant modification of Russia’s military doctrine in a statement on Sept. 25. He revealed that the new doctrine would propose considering aggression against Russia by a non-nuclear state, “with the participation or support of a nuclear stat…

The Kyiv IndependentAndreas Umland

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