Russia warned on Monday that it may be obliged to put nuclear weapons in Europe in response to what it believes as NATO's ambitions to do the same, deepening its standoff with the West over Ukraine.
Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, stated that if NATO fails to rule out ever using the weapons, Moscow will resort to them. The weapons have a maximum range of 5,000 kilometers and are capable of striking multiple cities throughout Europe.
According to Reuters, Ryabkov told Russia's state-run RIA news agency that Russia would be forced to take the bold action if NATO did not improve its engagement with Moscow on ways to de-escalate tensions.
Intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) were prohibited in 1987 by a deal signed by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan. In 2019, the U.S. withdrew from the deal, citing Russian violations.
Washington withdrew from the accord after years of complaints about alleged infractions involving Russia's development of a ground-launched cruise missile dubbed the 9M729 by Moscow and the "Screwdriver" by NATO.
Ryabkov's warning heightened the possibility of a new armaments buildup on the continent, at a time when East-West tensions are at their highest level since the Cold War ended 30 years ago.
According to Reuters, Ryabkov stated that there were "indirect indicators" that NATO wanted to redeploy intermediate-range missiles, such as the recent reinstatement of the 56th Artillery Command, which housed nuclear-capable missiles during the Cold War.
In comments to RIA, Ryabkov denied Russia was contemplating an invasion of Ukraine. Instead, he stated that Moscow would "react militarily" if NATO attempted to push eastward.
Ryabkov has emerged as one of Moscow's major messengers in recent days, as President Vladimir Putin demands for Western security assurances while confronting warnings from the U.S. and its allies to avoid a military invasion of Ukraine - something the minister denied again.
NATO has stated that no new U.S. missiles would be deployed in Europe and that it will deal with threats from new Russian missiles using conventional weapons.
NATO partners are growing concerned that Russia would send thousands of troops gathered on its border into Ukraine in a rerun of the 2014 Crimea annexation.
NATO has said that no new U.S. missiles will be stationed in Europe and that it is prepared to repel new Russian missiles with a "measured" response including just conventional weapons.
