The Kremlin fired back at NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after he said the alliance was discussing potentially deploying more nuclear weapons. Moscow labeled his comments an “escalation of tension.”
In an interview with The Telegraph, Stoltenberg revealed that NATO members were consulting on taking nuclear weapons out of storage and putting them on standby. He cited growing threats from Russia and China as the reason.
However, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s press secretary, pointed out that Stoltenberg’s remarks contradicted the recent “peace summit” in Switzerland. At that conference, the communique stated any nuclear threats or use related to Ukraine would be unacceptable.
“This is nothing but another escalation of tension,” Peskov said of the NATO chief’s nuclear deployment discussion.
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Stoltenberg later tried to clarify by referring to modernizing NATO’s nuclear deterrent forces, such as replacing aging F-16s with new F-35s. He accused Russia of trying to sow confusion intentionally.
NATO also released a statement emphasizing it has “no significant changes” planned for its current nuclear posture beyond routine modernization programs to replace outdated weapons systems.
The escalating rhetoric highlights soaring tensions between Russia and NATO over the Ukraine war. Moscow has accused the U.S. and allies of pushing the world toward nuclear brinkmanship by funneling billions worth of weapons to Ukraine, some used to strike Russian territory.
For his part, President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is prepared to use nuclear arms to defend itself if necessary. The two nuclear superpowers, Russia and the U.S., control around 88% of the world’s nuclear stockpiles.
