Putin lowers threshold for using nuclear arsenal after Biden’s arms decision

The Russian president’s endorsement of the new nuclear deterrent policy comes on the 1,000th day after he sent troops into Ukraine (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin formally lowered the threshold for Russia’s use of its nuclear weapons on Tuesday, a move that follows US President Joe Biden’s decision to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russian territory with American-supplied longer-range missiles.

The new doctrine allows for a potential nuclear response by Moscow even to a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power.