MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/. Russia believes it is possible that some NATO member states that maintain self-restrictions on the deployment of nuclear weapons on their territories may abandon their obligations, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
"It should not be excluded that some of them, which are still observing national restrictions regarding the deployment of nuclear weapons on their territories, may completely abandon them [obligations] in the future," she said at a news briefing.
Commenting on the NATO member states’ recent nuclear forces exercise, dubbed ‘Steadfast Noon,’ Zakharova stressed that the mere existence of the practice of joint nuclear missions, in which the NATO countries regularly hone the skills of the collective use of US nuclear weapons deployed in Europe targeting Russia and the territories of the country’s allies, is deeply destabilizing.
The Russian diplomat also highlighted continued appeals of Warsaw's state officials to the United States "in an attempt to lure Washington into a venture regarding the deployment of US nuclear weapons on Polish territory."
"By resorting to such moves, formally non-nuclear NATO members once again demonstrate their defiant disregard for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons [NPT]," she said.
"We [Russia] point out at the same time that this scheme and the corresponding capabilities of the NATO countries are being purposefully developed, leading to further aggravation of strategic risks and increased tensions," Zakharova added.
On October 13, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that the alliance’s Steadfast Noon nuclear deterrence exercise had begun. He described the exercise as "a long planned, routine training activity" unrelated to any current world events and using "no live weapons."
Steadfast Noon exercise
NATO announced on October 13 that the military alliance kicked off its annual nuclear deterrence exercise code-named Steadfast Noon. According to NATO, "the exercise is a long planned, routine training activity and part of NATO’s broader efforts to maintain readiness and ensure transparency around its nuclear posture. It is not linked to any current world events, and no live weapons are used."
NATO’s press office announced in a statement on its official website that this year the drills are being held at Volkel Airbase in the Netherlands, as well as at Belgium’s Kleine Brogel Air Base, which is one of the five European facilities storing US tactical nuclear bombs, even though neither the US nor NATO has officially recognized it. The exercise also involves the UK’s Lakenheath airbase.
The drills involve about 2,000 troops and 70 aircraft from 14 NATO member states, including planes capable of carrying nuclear weapons, such as F-16s and F-35s.
NATO pursues a policy of nuclear sharing, which stipulates the transfer of US tactical nuclear weapons to the bloc’s non-nuclear countries. At the direction of the US, these countries can carry out nuclear strikes using their launchers as part of a joint nuclear mission. This is the activity that the Steadfast Noon exercise is aimed at practicing.
Jim Stokes, NATO’s Director of Nuclear Policy, was quoted by NATO’s press office that the exercise is aimed at "promoting transparency when and where appropriate, so that our Allied populations and the wider world have a good understanding of what we are doing.".