MOSCOW, April 18. /TASS/. Moscow can not view Paris’ nuclear arsenal separately from the nukes possessed by Washington and London, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Commenting on France’s decision to place its aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, directly under NATO control as part of a deployment in the Mediterranean on April 26 - May 10, the Russian diplomat said: "This move from France once again shows that, when discussing European security crises or global security and arms control issues, the French nuclear arsenal should be considered collectively with the US and British [arsenals]," a conclusion she said was prompted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

According to Zakharova, since the times of de Gaulle, the French nuclear arsenal has been touted as "a pillar of national sovereignty and the independent foreign policy of France." She described the latest decision on the part of France as a symbolic move marking the end of "the era of an independent Paris in the international arena."