Russia’s Ambassador-at-Large Andrey Belousov argued that US nuclear policies in Europe carry risks that could turn the continent into a potential nuclear battlefield.
In an interview with the RT television channel on Sunday, Belousov claimed that Washington’s insistence on launching talks about Russia’s non-strategic nuclear weapons indicates that the US is seriously considering the possibility of using nuclear weapons in Europe.
Belousov criticizes the US and NATO
The Russian diplomat said calls for greater transparency regarding Russia’s non-strategic nuclear arsenal, as well as for reducing or eliminating those weapons, had made a potential nuclear-use scenario involving the US and its European allies more visible.
According to Belousov, this approach could cause the risks posed by US nuclear weapons deployed in Europe and Washington’s broader missile and nuclear programs to recede from the attention of the international public.
Belousov described the deployment of US nuclear weapons in European NATO countries and NATO’s nuclear-sharing arrangements as a longstanding concern for Moscow. He said the participation of more NATO members in these arrangements and the expansion of exercises related to potential nuclear-weapons use increased the risks to Russia’s security.
Statements on Russia’s nuclear arsenal
Belousov said Russia had reduced its non-strategic nuclear arsenal to one-quarter of its previous size in the early 1990s and moved the remaining weapons to centralized storage facilities. Saying that Moscow expected reciprocal steps from Washington, Belousov argued that subsequent US moves had not fundamentally changed the military and political situation in Europe.
The Russian diplomat said the collapse of arms-control and nuclear-disarmament agreements, along with US plans to develop a multilayered missile-defense system under the “Golden Dome” program and modernize its nuclear forces, had significantly worsened the strategic environment.
Moscow says it remains open to strategic dialogue
Belousov said Russia wanted to initiate an international discussion on what it considers the destabilizing nature of NATO’s nuclear-sharing arrangements and aimed to encourage the US to withdraw its nuclear weapons from Europe.
Belousov said Moscow was open to resuming strategic dialogue with Washington, but added that the prospects for mutually acceptable agreements were currently limited. He said negotiations should be conducted on the basis of equal and indivisible security and cover broader factors affecting strategic stability.
Belousov also said Russia would respond to developments in the strategic-weapons sphere through political, diplomatic and military-technical measures. He said these measures would aim to preserve the strategic balance and counter potential additional threats to Russia’s security.
Statements from the Pentagon, Trump and NATO
The Pentagon said the US remained committed to nuclear deterrence. Washington also wants NATO members in Europe to assume greater responsibility for the alliance’s conventional defense.
US President Donald Trump said this week that he was not concerned about the possibility of Russia attacking NATO territory. Trump’s statement came at a time of growing concern in Europe over a potential Russian military move against the alliance.
NATO criticizes Russia for expanding and modernizing its non-strategic nuclear capabilities. Moscow, meanwhile, regards its nuclear arsenal as the only means capable of deterring an attack by NATO’s superior military force.
Non-strategic, or tactical, nuclear weapons have long been among the contentious issues in arms-control talks between the US and Russia. While both countries possess significant tactical nuclear arsenals, the US also keeps nuclear weapons in Europe under NATO arrangements.
Debate over the future of European security and arms control expanded further after New START, the last agreement limiting the US and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals, expired in February.
