MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/. A large amount of US tactical nuclear weapons is in Europe, while Russia does not transfer its weapons to anyone, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with members of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights (HRC) on Wednesday.

"Large amounts of so-called tactical US nuclear weapons are located on European territory. We have not transferred and do not transfer our nuclear weapons to anyone. But, of course, we will protect our allies with all the means at our disposal, if necessary," Putin stressed.

Speaking about the risk of nuclear weapons being used the Russian leader drew a parallel with Russophobia.

"After all, no one notices and or wishes to notice and see what is being done and said in the neighboring countries, in the Western countries. I have already said: we do not keep our own nuclear weapons, including tactical ones, on the territories of other countries. The Americans do. In Turkey and in a number of other European states. They conduct training sessions envisaging the possibility of using these countries’ delivery vehicles to carry US nuclear weapons. We have not done anything like that so far," Putin noted.