China has called for “calm and restraint” after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree expanding the use of nuclear weapons. The statement was made by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jiang at a press conference on Wednesday, The Economic Times reports.
“Under the current circumstances, all parties should remain calm and exercise restraint, working together through dialogue and consultation to reduce tensions,” Jiang said. He added that China’s position on the need to de-escalate the situation and reach a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis remains unchanged.
These calls for restraint come against the backdrop of Russia’s recent actions. On the 1,000th day of the war against Ukraine, Putin signed a decree authorising the expanded use of nuclear weapons, in response to the US allowing Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles with a range capable of hitting targets on Russian territory.
At the end of September, Putin warned that any attack by a country without a nuclear arsenal, but with the support of a nuclear power, could be regarded as joint aggression, potentially justifying the use of nuclear weapons.
These changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine have drawn sharp criticism from Western countries.
Threats from the head of the SIS
In turn, Sergei Naryshkin, director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, warned NATO countries that Russia would respond to any actions that would help Ukraine strike Russian territory with long-range missiles.
Naryshkin also said that the changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine actually mean that Russia cannot be defeated on the battlefield. “Our enemies are forced to admit that President Putin’s determination to defend the country’s fundamental interests by all possible means limits the manoeuvre of Washington and Brussels,” he said in an interview with National Defence magazine.
“Attempts by some NATO allies to assist in possible strikes using Western weapons on Russian territory will not go unpunished,” the SVR chief warned.
The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that on Tuesday, the Ukrainian military allegedly used ATACMS missiles to attack Russian territory. Although Kyiv has not officially confirmed this information, it has caused a wave of outrage among Russian officials. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the attack was a “new phase of the conflict,” stressing that it was no longer just Ukrainian aggression, but also active Western interference.
