No, the non-escalating use of nukes is against an invading force on friendly/neutral soil. The nato full scale response was not an escalating responce it was a policy decision intended to tell Russia that they would not take increment their use of force and would go straight to the deterrent effect.

I.E. They made it official policy in order to deter the USSR from attacking. The strikes described were not defensive nuklear blasts, they were full scale retaliation.

Also, the number of weapons does matter. And smaller is worse, the less nukes one has the more likly strikes are because the less likly deterrent response is.