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Ulviyya Poladova

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Chairman of the CSTO Permanent Council Viktor Vasilyev said that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) could use weapons of mass destruction to protect its allies, AzerNEWS reports, citing RIA Novosti.

"The documents adopted to develop this Strategy, as well as the Russian military doctrine, provide for the possibility of using nuclear weapons, including to protect allies in the event of an attack," Vasilyev told in response to a question about whether such weapons could be deployed in other CSTO member states.

Vasilyev also noted that the CSTO’s Collective Security Strategy identifies the possible increase in the number of states possessing military nuclear capabilities, as well as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, among the modern challenges and threats to collective security.

Recently, several countries have taken a more assertive stance on nuclear policy. In early March, French President Emmanuel Macron said France was entering a new era of "advanced nuclear deterrence." Under the revised approach, France plans to increase its nuclear warhead stockpile, while its allies could also take part in joint military exercises.

In June, Finland’s parliament approved amendments lifting restrictions on the import, production, storage and use of nuclear weapons on Finnish territory.