Putin's new doctrine names America "primary source" of Russian security danger.

The Kremlin's new foreign policy doctrine calls the US the "primary source of dangers" to Russian security and calls Russia a "distinctive state-civilisation" with a "unique historical role".

The doctrine's first modification since 2016 reflects "radical shifts in international relations," President Vladimir Putin told his Security Council on Friday.

Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov called "unfriendly countries" a "existential menace" when presenting the new approach.

The new doctrine calls the US the "primary source" of security challenges to Russia and refers to a "period of revolutionary changes" towards a "more just multipolar world" to reflect China's emerging power under President Xi Jinping.

Putin and Xi signed a "no limits cooperation" shortly before Putin invaded Ukraine last year.

The policy document calls Russia "peaceful, open, and predictable" despite its war with its neighbour. It accuses the US of using its "special military operation" in Ukraine to start a "hybrid war" to "weaken and disintegrate Russia".

Moscow has escalated tensions with the US and its allies in recent weeks. Putin ordered tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by summer this month. This week, Russian security officers arrested Moscow-based US writer Evan Gershkovich for spying.

On Friday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced he was considering strategic nuclear weapons deployment with Russia.

Lukashenko told parliament that he has begun talks with Putin on "the restoration of nuclear weapons withdrawn in the 1990s to Belarus".

“We would do anything to safeguard our countries and people,” he declared.

Andrey Baklitskiy, a senior weapons of mass destruction researcher at the UN Center for Disarmament Studies, called Belarus getting strategic weapons "unrealistic" because there was no practical advantage in shifting intercontinental missiles out of Russia.

“Strategic weapons are incredibly important and normally stationed at least 300km-400km from the closest land border to minimise accidents,” he said.

Russia's new foreign policy plan calls the US "an influential development hub" but "the organiser and executor of anti-Russian policies of the collective west". It contrasts with the previous philosophy, which sought "working ties with the US".

The notion views China and India as "friendly sovereign global centres of power" that share Russia's "future world order". Allies include Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

“Like Stalin, Putin sees the globe split into zones of influence, into which the great nations struggle to recruit more allies,” said Carnegie Endowment for International Peace senior fellow Andrei Kolesnikov. “The more allies you have, the more power you are,” Putin said of “friendship”.

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, doubted Beijing's peace plan for Ukraine despite stronger connections. Peskov called China's plan "unattainable" because to Kyiv's position.

Russia has a "special mission" to preserve global power balance and construct a multipolar international structure, according to the new doctrine. The paper calls Russia a "civilisation" rather than a state.

Kolesnikov said Russia's "special path" is more developed than in past upgrades. He continued, “The concept depicts the state's greatest level of isolationism and imperialism.”