SECURITY: Russia Could Use Nuclear Weapons If "Critical Threat To Sovereignty"

Wires carrying comments from Russian President Vladimir Putin following a meeting of the Russian Security Council. Putin notes that a "number of clarifications" have been proposed to Russia's nuclear doctrine, due to the emergence of "new sources of military threats and risks for Russia." See: RUSSIA: Kremlin-Putin To Speak @ Sec Council On Nuclear Deterrence

• Putin's comments appear designed to dissuade the US and other allies from authorising Ukraine to use Western-supplied weapons to strike targets within Russia - a key goal of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's ongoing trip to the US. Putin's comments maintain Russia's ambiguous nuclear doctrine but update the language to frame a hypothetical Ukrainian attack as a "joint attack."
• Putin: "Aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear state, but with the participation or support of a nuclear state, is proposed to be considered as their joint attack on the Russian Federation."
• Putin: "We reserve the right to use nuclear weapons in case of aggression against Russia including if the enemy poses a critical threat to our sovereignty with conventional weapons."
• Putin: "Russia would consider using nuclear weapons if it gets reliable information about start of mass cross-border attack by air from strategic and tactical aviation, cruise missiles, drones and hypersonic weapons."
• Western allies of Ukraine have been cautious about changing restrictions on long-range weapons. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this week became the first major Ukraine backer to rule out a change: "I said no to that," adding that this would not change "even if other countries decide differently."