Russia Issues Nuclear Warning As Peace Talks Stall

op Russian officials issued nuclear warnings against the West on Thursday as peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine hit a roadblock.

Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment by email.

The timing of the threats come as President Donald Trump's attempts to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia face mounting challenges.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio abruptly pulled out of discussions with U.S., Ukrainian and European officials in London on Wednesday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly lambasted a central component of Trump's reported ceasefire proposal, which involve territorial concessions.

Trump has warned that he may abandon his diplomatic efforts if no agreement is reached soon.

Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if it faces aggression from Western nations, Sergei Shoigu, secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, told Kremlin newswire Tass.

Shoigu, who was replaced as defense minister last year after holding the position for 12 years, cited amendments made to Russia's nuclear doctrine in November.

He said it allows Russia to "use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression against it or the Republic of Belarus, including with the use of conventional weapons."

"...in the event of foreign states committing unfriendly actions that pose a threat to the sovereignty and territory integrity of the Russian Federation, our country considers it legitimate to take symmetric and asymmetric measures necessary to suppress such actions and prevent their recurrence," the official warned.

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president and prime minister, issued a separate nuclear warning, threatening a war should the International Criminal Court (ICC) execution arrest warrant against President Vladimir Putin.