Biden refuses to rule out first-strike use of US nuclear weapons under 'extreme circumstances' in dramatic reversal of his campaign vow after Putin's invasion of Ukraine
- Biden will not change the current US nuclear doctrine under pressure from allies
- Longstanding US policy allows for first-strike use of nukes in extreme situations
- Biden had vowed to change that policy but is now backing down from the plan
- Ongoing Nuclear Posture Review will not adopt the new 'sole purpose' doctrine
- Nukes can still be used to deter conventional, chemical, or biological attack
President Joe Biden is abandoning a campaign vow to alter longstanding US nuclear doctrine, and will instead embrace existing policy that reserves America's right to use nukes in a first-strike scenario, according to multiple reports.
As Russian forces continue their bloody assault on Ukraine, Biden is under pressure from NATO allies not to abandon the right to use nuclear weapons to deter conventional attacks.
Since the Cold War, American policy has allowed for first-strike use of nuclear weapons under 'extreme circumstances,' such as responding to an invasion by conventional forces, or chemical or biological attacks.
But on the campaign trail, Biden had vowed to switch to a 'sole purpose' doctrine, which maintains that the US would only use nuclear weapons to respond to another nation's nuclear attack.
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