MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/. An increasing number of US allies in Europe are considering developing their own nuclear capabilities, a trend that is both provocative and damaging to the non-proliferation regime, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said at a meeting of the Trialogue Club International.

"Recent developments are deeply concerning, particularly the growing number of US non-nuclear allies that are considering the idea of acquiring their own nuclear capabilities," Ryabkov said. "This is extremely provocative and destructive to the nuclear non-proliferation regime, especially given that it is happening without any visible objections from Washington or the European capitals of nuclear-armed countries," he added.

"This is noteworthy, given that for years we have heard assurances that agreements on 'joint nuclear use' and 'extended nuclear deterrence' are supposedly effective tools used by the collective West to address nuclear non-proliferation challenges," the senior diplomat said.

"This assertion is, in my view, highly questionable and does not resonate with the overwhelming majority of countries that are parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Indeed, it is becoming increasingly clear that the more actively these arrangements are promoted by Western nuclear powers, the more they encourage their non-nuclear allies to become more ambitious and active in seeking broader access to nuclear weapons," Ryabkov concluded.