Editing No first use (section)

=== Soviet Union/Russia ===
In its final years, the [[Soviet Union]] adopted a formal no-first-use in 1982 when Foreign Minister [[Andrei Gromyko]] read out at the [[United Nations]] a pledge by General Secretary [[Leonid Brezhnev]] not to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goshko |first=John M. |date=1982-06-16 |title=Soviet Chief Renounces First Use of A-Weapons |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/06/16/soviet-chief-renounces-first-use-of-a-weapons/69fde24a-b92c-4bba-b253-4693dfbda9f7/ |access-date=2022-03-19 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> However, this pledge was not taken seriously, and later leaked [[Soviet Armed Forces]] documents confirmed that the military had plans for a pre-emptive nuclear strike and considered launching one during the [[Able Archer 83]] crisis.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title='No First Use' and Nuclear Weapons |url=https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/no-first-use-and-nuclear-weapons |access-date=2022-03-19 |publisher=Council on Foreign Relations |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Soviet plan for WW3 nuclear attack unearthed |first=Henry |last=Samuel |date=20 September 2007  |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1563692/Soviet-plan-for-WW3-nuclear-attack-unearthed.html |access-date=2022-03-19 |website=The Telegraph}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Able Archer 83: the Nato war-game that nearly spelled nuclear disaster |url=https://www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/able-archer-83-what-happened-nato-war-gamecold-war-nuclear-disaster/ |access-date=2022-03-20 |website=History Extra |language=en}}</ref> After the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], the [[Russia|Russian Federation]] formally reversed this policy in 1993 due to the weakness of the [[Russian Armed Forces]] in the [[Post-Soviet states|post-Soviet era]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Efron |first=Sonni |date=1993-11-04 |title=Russia Discards Soviet Legacy of No First Use of A-Weapons |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-11-04-mn-53224-story.html |access-date=2022-03-19 |website=The Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Russia describes its entire military doctrine as defensive [[Military doctrine of Russia#2010 Military Doctrine|military doctrine]].
With regard to nuclear weapons specifically, Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons:
* in response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it or its allies, and also
* in case of aggression against Russia with the use of conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is threatened.<ref name="Policy2010">{{cite web|orig-year=presidential decree 2010-06-25|date=2010-06-25|script-title=ru:Военная доктрина Российской Федерации|title=Voyennaya doktrina Rossiyskoy Federatsii|trans-title=Military doctrine of the Russian Federation|language=ru|location=Moscow|publisher=[[Security Council of the Russian Federation]]|url=http://www.scrf.gov.ru/documents/33.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504070127/http://www.scrf.gov.ru/documents/33.html|archive-date=2011-05-04|url-status=dead}} The same URL is used for various revisions with different presidential decree dates.</ref>
The military doctrine of 2014 did not depart from this stance.<ref>[http://rusemb.org.uk/press/2029 Military doctrine of the Russian Federation of 2014], paragraph 27</ref> The 2020 Presidential Executive Order on Nuclear Deterrence in Article 4 uses the following wording: "deterrence of a potential adversary from aggression against the Russian Federation and/or its allies. In the event of a military conflict, this Policy provides for the prevention of an escalation of military actions and their termination on conditions that are acceptable for the Russian Federation and/or its allies."{{cn|date=October 2024}} This has been interpreted as describing non-nuclear scenarios where Russia might use nuclear weapons to achieve its military goals.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sipri.org/commentary/blog/2020/russias-nuclear-doctrine-moves-focus-non-western-threats |title=Russia's nuclear doctrine moves the focus from non-Western threats |date=October 1, 2020|first=Petr |last=Topychkanov| publisher=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute}}</ref> During the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]], observers expressed concern that Russia would preemptively use [[tactical nuclear weapon]]s after President [[Vladimir Putin]] announced the mobilization of Russian nuclear forces to "combat-ready" status.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-03-16 |title=Ukraine war: Could Russia use tactical nuclear weapons? |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-60664169 |access-date=2022-03-19}}</ref> In December 2022, Putin claimed that Russia would not be the first to use nuclear weapons or the second, and that "Russian nuclear doctrine is premised on self-defense."<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-12-07 |title=Putin: Nuclear risk is rising, but we are not mad |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63893316 |access-date=2022-12-07}}</ref><ref name= isw7Dec2022 >{{cite web|first1=Karolina |last1=Hird |first2=Riley |last2=Bailey |first3=George |last3=Barros |first4=Madison |last4=Williams |first5=Yekaterina |last5=Klepanchuk |first6=Frederick W. |last6=Kagan |publisher=Institute for the Study of War |url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-7 |date=7 December 2022 |title=Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 7}}</ref><ref name="videoconference">{{cite web |first=Vladimir |last=Putin |url=http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/70046 |date=7 December 2022 |script-title=ru:Заседание Совета по развитию гражданского общества и правам человека|trans-title=Meeting of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights |format=videoconference}}</ref>

Russia and China do maintain a mutual agreement to have a no first use policy which was developed under the [[2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship|Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation]]. Under the second paragraph of article two, China and Russia agreed that "The contracting parties reaffirm their commitment that they will not be the first to use nuclear weapons against each other nor target strategic nuclear missiles against each other."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pg.china-embassy.org/eng/xwdt/t47618.htm |title=Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation |at=Article 2, second paragraph}}</ref>