Russian President Vladimir Putin said in the video conference last week that Russia may look into updating its nuclear policy and take a new look at the possibility of a preventive nuclear first strike to disarm an opponent to its military doctrine.

“We’re thinking about this,” he said. “If we are talking about a disarming strike, perhaps we should think about using the approaches of our American partners.”

He noted that the U.S.’s strategy makes it clear that Washington’s nuclear policy includes permission for a “preventive blow.”

He said Russia’s policy is retaliatory-only.

“So if we’re talking about this disarming strike, then maybe think about adopting the best practices of our American partners and their ideas for ensuring their security. We’re just thinking about it. No one was shy when they talked about it out loud in previous times and years,” Putin said. He continued, “If a potential adversary believes it is possible to use the theory of a preventive strike, and we do not, then this still makes us think about those threats that are posed to us.”

Rebekah Koffler, a Russia expert and former Defense Intelligence Agency intelligence officer for Russian Doctrine & Strategy, told Fox News that Putin was correct that Washington’s policy includes a response to “non-nuclear threats.”

She said Putin’s message, from an intelligence standpoint, was deliberate. She said the comment signaled that Russia could use these weapons in Ukraine if the U.S./NATO continues to provide weapons to Ukraine—especially those that Ukraine can use to strike deep into Russia proper.”

Putin also said Wednesday that Moscow’s nuclear weapons are “more advanced and state-of-the-art” than any other nuclear-capable nation, as Ukraine increased the risk of nuclear war by striking targets deep inside Russia in drone attacks.

We reported in April that Russia test-fired its new Sarmat superheavy Intercontinental Ballistic Missile that can reportedly deploy 10 or more nuclear warheads on each missile. Western analysts have called the missile “Satan 2.” The design is intended to evade anti-missile systems and can reportedly hit any target on Earth.

In 2018, Putin said the Sarmat would render even the most advanced missile systems useless. “No kind of, not even future missile defense systems will offer any trouble to the Russian rocket complex, Sarmat.”

TRENDPOST: Putin said the risk of a nuclear escalation is increasing. 

“We haven’t gone mad. We fully understand what nuclear weapons are,” Putin said. “We have them, and they are more advanced and state-of-the-art than what any other nuclear power has. We aren’t going to brandish those weapons like a razor running around the world, but we naturally proceed from their existence. It’s a factor of deterrence, not a factor provoking an escalation of the conflict.”

Putin said Russia would respond with “hundreds” of warheads if just one missile enters Russian territory. He said no adversarial country would be able to stop them. 

“I assure you, after the early warning system receives a signal of a missile attack, hundreds of our missiles are in the air,” Putin said. 

He said there would be nothing left of the enemy, “because it is impossible to intercept a hundred missiles. This, of course, is a deterrent—a serious deterrent.”