Russia weighs nuclear missile deployment amid NATO escalation
-The moment may come when Russia will need to deploy nuclear missiles in response to Western actions - said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, responding to whether the Russian Federation plans to deploy nuclear missiles on aircraft carriers. This is a response to a recent announcement by the United States and Germany.
On the sidelines of the recent NATO summit in Washington, US and German authorities announced that the United States would begin deploying long-range missiles, including hypersonic missiles, SM-6, and Tomahawk, in Germany in 2026.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz argues that the weapons serve as a deterrent aimed at preventing war. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov remarked on the announcement. The Kremlin’s propagandist did not rule out that Russian authorities might someday decide to deploy nuclear missiles on aircraft carriers.
- I confirm - if the Supreme Commander-in-Chief [of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Putin], if our military says that we need special munitions on certain carriers, then it will be done - said Ryabkov, quoted by the TASS agency.
He also noted that Russia currently has no such plans. But they must make this decision based on a combination of factors. I do not rule out that the moment may come when it will be needed, he added.
Pistorius: Our plans cannot be compared to those of the 1980s
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius emphasized earlier that the planned deployment of weapons is not comparable to the deployment following NATO's so-called dual-track decision in the 1980s.
- This needs to be clearly emphasized to reassure those who are concerned about this - said the German defence minister. As he pointed out, the weapons are intended for "real deterrence."
Pistorius emphasized it was about closing the gap on our side. He cleared that a potential attack on NATO territory and its allies would have such a high cost for Russia that the risk would no longer be calculable.
In 1979, NATO made the so-called dual-track decision regarding the deployment of nuclear-armed missiles in Europe – in response to the deployment of Soviet SS-20 missiles, which could reach targets in Western Europe. This decision prompted protests in both West Germany and East Germany.
