NATO states that Russia's "experimental weapons" will not alter the course of the war.

The use of the new ballistic missile by Russia "will not change the course of the conflict or deter NATO allies from supporting Ukraine," stated NATO spokesperson Farah Dahlelah.

Her comments came after Putin announced that Russia had launched its "latest missile" called "Oreshnik" during an attack on Dnipro.

"The Russian attack on Dnipro on Thursday is yet another example of Russia's assaults on Ukrainian cities," Dahlelah remarked in comments to The Guardian and AFP.

Putin claimed that this attack was a response to Ukraine's shelling of targets in Russian regions using Western-supplied long-range missiles.

"They (the Russians) likely considered testing a nuclear warhead, which is rumored to happen soon, but decided that it was too intense and could provoke a strong negative reaction, especially from partners like China and India," commented Fabian Hoffmann, a defense expert and researcher at the University of Oslo, to Kyiv Independent.

"They likely thought that a strike with an IRBM missile was a better option, as it sends a clear signal to the West while potentially not inciting hostility from critical international partners," he added.

"So this strike has no military significance; it is purely a political objective," he emphasized.

Meanwhile, the White House sees no signs that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

This was stated on November 21 by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during a press briefing. Jean-Pierre also mentioned that the administration is "not surprised by Russia's announcement that it will update its nuclear doctrine" and considers it "irresponsible rhetoric."

"This is the same irresponsible rhetoric that we have continued to hear from Russia, which we have been observing for over two years," Jean-Pierre said.

"We have not seen any signs that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. We simply have not seen that. And not observing any changes in Russia's nuclear posture, we have seen no reason to adjust our own nuclear position or doctrine in response to Russia's statements," she added.

Background. It has been reported that Putin has approved new reasons for the use of nuclear weapons, including strikes with long-range missiles. He will consider aggression against Russia from a non-nuclear state with the involvement or support of a nuclear state as a joint attack.