Meeting of the Security Council standing conference on nuclear deterrence

The meeting was attended by Deputy
Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev Medvedev DmitryDeputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation , First Deputy Prime Minister
Denis Manturov Manturov DenisFirst Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Russian Federation , Defence Minister Andrei Belousov Belousov AndreiDefence Minister of the Russian Federation , Finance Minister Anton
Siluanov Siluanov AntonMinister of Finance of the Russian Federation , Director of the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov Bortnikov AlexanderDirector of the Federal Security Service ,
Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin Naryshkin SergeiDirector of the Foreign Intelligence Service , First Deputy
Secretary of the Security Council Rashid Nurgaliyev Nurgaliyev RashidFirst Deputy Secretary of the Security Council , General Director of the Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities Yury Borisov Borisov YuryGeneral Director of the Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities , and Director General
of State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom Alexei Likhachev Likhachev AlexeiDirector General of State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom .
* * *
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues,
Today we are holding a planned
meeting, which is called Standing Conference on nuclear deterrence. We hold it
twice a year. And today, we will discuss an issue related to updating the Basic
Principles of State Policy on Nuclear Deterrence.
Alongside the Military Doctrine,
this is a document that officially defines and details Russia’s nuclear
strategy. First of all, it sets forth the basic principle of using nuclear
weapons: the use of nuclear forces is the last resort measure to protect the country’s sovereignty.
Let me stress that we have always
been highly responsible in matters like this, being well aware of the colossal power these weapons have, striving to strengthen the international legal foundation for global
stability and prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and their components.
At present, our nuclear triad remains the most important
security guarantee for our state and citizens, an instrument for maintaining strategic
parity and balance of forces in the world.
At the same time, we can see that the modern military-political
situation is rapidly changing and we have to factor that in, including the emergence
of new sources of military threats and risks for Russia and our allies.
It is important to predict the development of the situation and adjust the provisions of the strategic planning document in accordance with current realities.
Over the last year specialists from the Defence
Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Security Council Office and other agencies have made
an in-depth and comprehensive analysis and evaluated the need for adjusting our
approaches to a possible use of nuclear forces. Based on the results of this
work, a number of updates have been proposed in terms of defining the conditions for using nuclear weapons.
Thus, the draft Basic Principles expand the category of states and military alliances in respect of which nuclear
deterrence is exercised and expand the list of military threats to be
neutralised by nuclear deterrence measures.
I would like to draw your attention specifically
to the following. The updated version of the document is supposed to regard an aggression
against Russia from any non-nuclear state but involving or supported by any nuclear
state as their joint attack against the Russian Federation.
It also states clearly the conditions for Russia’s
transition to the use of nuclear weapons. We will consider such a possibility once
we receive reliable information about a massive launch of air and space attack
weapons and their crossing our state border. I mean strategic and tactical aircraft,
cruise missiles, UAVs, hypersonic and other aircraft.
We reserve the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression against Russia and Belarus as a member of the Union State. All
these issues have been agreed upon with the Belarusian side and the President
of Belarus. Including the case when the enemy, using conventional weapons,
creates a critical threat to our sovereignty.
In conclusion, I will note that all the updates
have been deeply calibrated and are measured against contemporary military
threats and risks to the Russian Federation.
Let’s get down to work. I give the floor to Defence
Minister Andrei Belousov.
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