Putin lowers bar for nuclear strike amid Ukraine attacks: Why it matters

Experts say Putin’s announcement is aimed at stopping the West from allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles deep inside Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday warned that Russia was changing its rules towards nuclear weapons, effectively lowering the threshold at which it might use them.

Experts said the threat was designed to scare the United States and its allies at a time when Ukraine is pressuring NATO members to allow it to use their long-range missiles for strikes deep inside Russian territory.  

Here’s what Putin said, why it represents a shift in Moscow’s nuclear policy, and what it could mean for Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Putin detailed the latest changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine during a televised meeting of Russia’s Security Council.

He said an attack that poses a “critical threat” to the sovereignty of Russia, if carried by a non-nuclear power with the “participation or support of a nuclear power” would be considered a “joint attack on the Russian Federation”.