MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/. Russia considers the presence of US nuclear weapons in a number of European states unacceptable, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in his video address to the Geneva conference on disarmament, adding that the US nuclear weapons must have long been returned back to American soil.
"It is unacceptable for us that US nuclear weapons still remain in a number of European states in contradiction to the basic points of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The bad practice of joint nuclear missions with the participation of non-nuclear NATO states continues. During such missions, the use of nuclear weapons against Russia is being practiced," he noted. "US nuclear weapons must have long been returned home, and the corresponding infrastructure in Europe must have long been eliminated."
The Minister underscored that Russia has always believed that there could be no winners in a nuclear war and that such war must never happen.
"This principle has been confirmed in the June 16, 2021, joint statement of the presidents of Russia and the US, as well in the June 28, 2021, joint statement of the heads of Russia and China. It is important that, under Russia’s initiative and with its most active participation, a joint statement of leaders of the five nuclear powers was developed and adopted on January 3 about prevention of nuclear war and prevention of an arms race," Lavrov added.