Russia accuses US of viewing Europe as potential nuclear battlefield

Russian Ambassador-at-large Andrey Belousov on Sunday accused the US of viewing Europe as a potential nuclear battlefield.

Speaking in an interview with the Russian RT TV channel, Belousov said the persistence with which Washington is trying to initiate discussions on Russian non-strategic nuclear weapons suggests that the US is seriously considering the possibility of using nuclear weapons in the European theater of operations.

"And, essentially, they view Europe as such a potential military theater," he said.

Belousov argued that by urging Russia to engage in a dialogue on non-strategic nuclear arsenal, the US is trying to divert international attention from the risks posed by American nuclear weapons deployed in Europe and Washington's broader missile and nuclear programs.

The official said obtaining information about Russia's non-strategic nuclear weapons through greater transparency measures, or reducing or eliminating the arsenal, could increase the likelihood of a nuclear-use scenario involving the US and its European allies.

"I hope that Europe will recognize the danger of Washington's purely operational-military approach to the territory of its allies," he said.

According to Belousov, the deployment of US nuclear weapons in European NATO countries and NATO's "nuclear sharing" arrangements have long been a concern for Moscow.

The expansion of such arrangements, including the involvement of additional NATO members in exercises related to the potential use of nuclear weapons, was increasing risks to Russia's security, he said.

Belousov said Russia had reduced its non-strategic nuclear arsenal by four times in the early 1990s and moved the remaining weapons to centralized storage facilities, saying Moscow had expected reciprocal steps from Washington.

The diplomat argued that subsequent US moves had not fundamentally changed the military-political situation in Europe.

He also said the collapse of arms-control and nuclear-disarmament agreements, combined with US plans to develop a multilayered missile-defense system under the "Golden Dome" program and modernize its nuclear forces, had significantly worsened the strategic environment.

Belousov said Russia was seeking to initiate an international discussion on what it considers the destabilizing nature of NATO's nuclear-sharing arrangements and to encourage the US to withdraw its nuclear weapons from Europe.

At the same time, Moscow remained open to resuming a strategic dialogue with Washington, although prospects for mutually acceptable agreements currently appeared limited, he stressed.

Belousov emphasized that any such negotiations should be based on equal and indivisible security and address the broader range of factors affecting strategic stability rather than focusing on individual issues.

Belousov also said Russia would respond to developments in the strategic-arms sphere through a combination of political, diplomatic, and military-technical measures aimed at maintaining strategic balance and addressing potential additional threats to its security.

Belousov's comments come as the US continues to maintain nuclear weapons in Europe as part of NATO's nuclear deterrence arrangements.

The Pentagon has said Washington remains committed to nuclear deterrence while urging European NATO members to assume greater responsibility for the alliance's conventional defense.

US President Donald Trump said this week that he was not concerned about the possibility of Russia attacking NATO territory, amid growing European concerns over a potential Russian military challenge to the alliance.

Meanwhile, NATO has criticized Russia's expansion and modernization of its non-strategic nuclear capabilities, while Moscow views its nuclear arsenal as the only means capable of deterring an attack from NATO, which significantly outnumbers its forces.

The issue of non-strategic, or tactical, nuclear weapons has long been a contentious subject in US-Russian arms-control discussions. The two countries maintain significant tactical nuclear arsenals, while the US also deploys nuclear weapons in Europe under NATO arrangements.

Belousov's remarks come amid broader tensions over European security and the future of arms control following the expiration of the New START treaty in February, which had been the last remaining treaty limiting US and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals.