Russia: American nuclear weapons must be withdrawn from Europe

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Maria Zakharova announced today, Thursday, that the Russian side, during its consultations with America on issues of strategic stability held in Vienna, stressed the importance of withdrawing US nuclear weapons from Europe.

“We reaffirmed once again the importance of ending such common nuclear practices by NATO, withdrawing American nuclear weapons from European countries to national territory, and removing the infrastructure for their deployment in Europe,” Zakharova said at a press conference.

On June 22-23, consultations took place in Vienna between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and the US arms control envoy, Marshall Billingsley.

Earlier, America said that it was considering extending the Strategic Assault Weapons Treaty (START-3) with Russia, which expires in 2021, but suggested that it be expanded to include a wide range of new weapons not included in the current START-3 treaty, and also proposed The treaty would include the People’s Republic of China, but China said it was not interested in such negotiations.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergey Ryabkov, confirmed earlier Thursday that the US administration links the fate of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with China’s accession to the strategic stability talks.

On February 22, the head of the ICRC in the Council of the Russian Federation, Konstantin Kosachev, said that US exercises against a Russian “blow” to Europe paved the way for the deployment of new nuclear weapons on the continent.

It is reported that it was mentioned in a document on nuclear policy that America will enhance its nuclear capabilities due to its concern about the growing Russian nuclear weapons, in a move that some of its critics say may increase the risk of a misjudgment between the two countries.

US officials say the United States will deter Russia from using nuclear weapons by enhancing its low-destructive nuclear capability. The strength of nuclear weapons with a low destructive force is less than 20 kilotons, but it also causes damage. The atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima had the same destructive power.