MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/. By deploying nuclear weapons in the UK, the US could be putting itself in better position to carry out a first strike on Russia, Vladimir Yermakov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department, told TASS.
"This (the potential deployment of US nuclear weapons in the UK - TASS) seems strange at a time when the UK, according to their own estimates, continues to possess reliable and sufficient carriers of nuclear weapons, such as submarines, which are characterized by a high degree of survivability. This raises a valid question: aren’t those weapons rather seen as contributing to a potential set of heterogeneous NATO forces and capabilities to be used against Russia in some crazy first strike?" the diplomat pointed out.
Yermakov pointed out that the situation regarding Russia's security remains the same. "There are already six facilities housing US nuclear weapons in Europe. Nevertheless, our servicemen, of course, will surely take into account such a provocative step by the UK and the US. In case they go ahead with their plan, it will reflect the escalation dynamics that the West continues to adhere to in its adventurous plan at a power play against us," he noted.
"Setting aside all this nonsense about the 'Russian threat', I will tell you straight away that all this rhetoric about the need to deploy in the 21st century nuclear missiles for bombers on the territory of the UK to protect it from Russia does not stand up to criticism. If London somehow wants to show that it sees us as a real military threat, it is simply absurd to try to deal with it by turning its island into a small stationary facility that will be on the list of top priority targets for destruction in case of a conflict," Yermakov added.
The Daily Telegraph reported earlier that its journalists have found new references in Pentagon documents to a potential plan to deploy nuclear warheads at Lakenheath Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Suffolk, England. The newspaper had previously reported on this possibility. According to the London publication, unredacted Pentagon documents posted on a government procurement website in early February 2024 and last August 2023 refer to the need to purchase additional ballistic protection equipment and hydraulic ramps in preparation for an "upcoming nuclear mission" in the United Kingdom.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that the deployment of US nuclear weapons in the UK may take place soon. According to the senior diplomat, Moscow will find a way to counter this.