Russia vows to respond to US deployment of nuclear weapons in Europe
(Baonghean.vn) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on October 26 that his country must respond to the threat posed by US nuclear weapons deployed in Europe, while accusing the West of openly waging a "real war" against Moscow.
Speaking at a forum dedicated to Eurasian security in the Belarusian capital Minsk, Lavrov reiterated Russia's criticism of NATO's nuclear sharing plan, which would see part of the US nuclear arsenal stationed overseas and Washington providing training to allies on how to deploy the weapons. Lavrov said the plan posed "a growing strategic risk" that "forces us to take countermeasures amid the growing common threats posed by NATO."
Dozens of US nuclear bombs are believed to be stored in Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Türkiye. Some countries that have not received US weapons, such as Poland, have received training in using the weapons, a move Moscow sees as a form of nuclear proliferation.
Lavrov also accused Western countries of waging “a hybrid war, openly, but no matter how you describe it, it is a real war.” He also said that Ukraine was the main tool in the hands of Washington and its allies. Lavrov asserted: “The West’s aggression against Russia is just part of a campaign… against any member of the international community that demonstrates independence and defends its national interests.” However, according to Lavrov, the balance of power is shifting against the West, thereby giving hope for a more equal and effective security structure in Eurasia.
He added that Moscow is seeking to return to the idea of creating an indivisible security space “from Lisbon to Vladivostok” and is ready to discuss this issue with all countries in the region. “But this time it must be an honest dialogue aimed at achieving real results, rather than slogans that mask the desire to pursue selfish policies,” Lavrov said. All countries should commit to not allowing their territories to be used to “create a threat to anyone,” and should eliminate any opportunities for “the imposition of power by actors outside the region and the continent,” he said.
The Russian foreign minister criticized Western geopolitical experts, who "seem to have lost all contact with reality and consider themselves God's viceroys on this earth," not feeling any shame about the fact that their actions trample on commitments at the highest levels, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), to adhere to the principle of equal and indivisible security.
Foreign Minister Lavrov pointed out that this principle means not strengthening one's own security at the expense of others, and not allowing any country or organization to dominate Europe. According to Foreign Minister Lavrov, NATO is doing the opposite, while the OSCE itself, which was originally conceived as a platform for equal dialogue and broad pan-European cooperation, is being turned into a marginal structure by NATO and the European Union (EU) member states that has no influence on the security situation to any extent.
The Russian diplomat praised his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto, who also attended the two-day event in the Belarusian capital, for representing a country that values national sovereignty. Mr. Lavrov pointed out that most other countries to the west of Russia have submitted to Washington's rule, and Moscow now sees no point in discussing its continent-wide security vision with them.
That would change, the Russian foreign minister said, “if they find the strength to become independent (and) gain ‘strategic autonomy’,” as described by French President Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders./.
