US White House Says "No Response Plan for Now" to Russia's "Nuclear Card" Move

White House "Not Surprised"
Russia Eases Nuclear Weapon Use Criteria After Missile Attack on Ukraine

The White House stated on the 19th (local time) that it currently has no plans to take a proportional response to Russia, which has relaxed the requirements for the use of nuclear weapons in response to Ukraine's long-range missile attacks.

According to major foreign media on the same day, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council (NSC) said in response to questions about Russia's change in nuclear doctrine that it was "not surprising" and explained that the U.S. has no plans to adjust its own nuclear posture in response.

Earlier, Russia announced a new nuclear doctrine that considers attacks by non-nuclear states supported by nuclear-armed countries as joint attacks. It also allowed the use of nuclear weapons in response to conventional weapon attacks that pose a "significant threat" to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russia and its allies. This measure is effectively aimed at Ukraine, which is supported by Western nuclear powers such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, and is a countermeasure to the Biden administration's approval for Ukraine to attack Russian territory with U.S.-made missiles.