Top Russian Foreign Policy Hawk Pushes For Bold Nuclear Response To Western Support In Ukraine: 'Time To Declare That We Have The Right To Respond'

In a recent development, a prominent Russian foreign policy hawk has called for a more assertive nuclear stance towards the West. He suggests that Russia should openly express its readiness to use nuclear weapons against countries that support NATO aggression in Ukraine.

What Happened: Sergei Karaganov, a leading Russian foreign policy hawk, has advocated for a more aggressive nuclear posture in an interview with Kommersant newspaper, Reuters reported on Thursday. Karaganov believes that Russia could launch a limited nuclear strike on a NATO country without provoking a full-scale nuclear war. He has accused the United States of deceit regarding its nuclear protection guarantees to its allies.

“It is time to declare that we have the right to respond to any massive strikes on our territory with a nuclear strike. This also applies to any seizure of our territory,” Karaganov said.

Karaganov’s views, while not representative of official policy, are closely monitored by Western security experts as an indicator of Russian foreign, defense, and nuclear policy thinking. He has been advocating for changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine for over a year and has been given platforms by the Kremlin to express his views directly to President Vladimir Putin.

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Why It Matters: This development comes amid escalating tensions between Russia and NATO. In June, NATO considered deploying additional nuclear weapons in response to threats from Russia and China.

Furthermore, in September, U.S. researchers identified a potential deployment site for Russia’s new nuclear-powered cruise missile, the 9M370 Burevestnik. Meanwhile, Iran has denied allegations of supplying short-range missiles to Russia for use in the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

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Image via Wikimedia Commons

This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari