US missile systems in EU show NATO’s intent to expand strike capabilities against Russia: Moscow

Russian Foreign Ministry spokewoman Maria Zakharova Monday said the deployment of US missile systems in Norway was another "highly destabilizing" move by NATO and accused the alliance of seeking to expand its capability to launch missile strikes deep into Russian territory.

"We regard the deployment in Europe of US systems capable of launching intermediate- and shorter-range missiles as yet another step in the never-ending series of highly destabilizing actions by NATO countries," Zakharova said.

She accused NATO of seeking to establish control over key maritime routes in the region, saying the US systems deployed in Norway are based on Mk-41 launch cells capable of firing missiles against targets on land and at sea.

She said the systems can launch long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles and that their deployment in Norway puts a significant portion of European Russia, including Moscow, within range.

"Thus, these missile systems can be used in aggressive actions by NATO countries against our country to solve strategic problems," she said.

The spokeswoman warned that the US missile systems and their command and support infrastructure in Norway would become a focus of Russia's strategic deterrence forces, including planning for the use of strike capabilities in the event of an armed conflict.

Regarding strategic stability talks with the US, Zakharova said the dialogue had not stalled but was "unilaterally interrupted" by the administration of former President Joe Biden.

She criticized the current US administration's calls for multilateral negotiations involving China, saying Beijing had repeatedly made clear it had strong reasons not to participate at this stage.

Zakharova said conditions for substantive and productive strategic stability talks between Moscow and Washington had not been established.

"Steps such as the deployment in Europe of US ground-based intermediate- and shorter-range missile systems that threaten Russia will, to put it mildly, 'zero out' the prerequisites for constructive talks with the US on strategic issues," she said.