MOSCOW, November 28. /TASS/. NATO’s activity lowers the nuclear threshold and implies transforming military scenarios into nuclear options already at their initial phase, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on Tuesday.

"Russia has long indicated that NATO’s joint nuclear missions that stipulate the participation of non-nuclear states are a gross violation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation [of Nuclear Weapons]," the senior Russian diplomat said at the Primakov Readings international forum.

"NATO’s activity lowers the nuclear threshold and implies transforming military scenarios into the nuclear phase already at the initial stage," he said.

"This is what is being laid out in the alliance’s plans today. We see that the nuclear component becomes increasingly tangible even in the practice of military drills," the high-ranking diplomat added.

The 9th Primakov Readings International Forum titled: "Postglobalization Horizons" is running in Moscow on November 27-28. TASS is a general information partner of the forum.