Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday (Nov 19) signed a decree allowing Moscow to use nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear state, receiving backing from nuclear powers.

This contentious decree comes as the Russia-Ukraine conflict reaches the grim milestone of 1000 days of war and as the United States allowed Kyiv to use long-range missiles to strike military targets inside Russia.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in a statement said that Russia broadening its rules for the use of nuclear weapons was a "necessary" response to what the country considers Western threats to its security.

"It was necessary to bring our principles in line with the current situation," he told reporters shortly after the Russian President signed the decree easing the conditions under which Moscow would consider launching a nuclear attack.