NATO’s annual nuclear exercises involving nuclear-capable military aircraft, which began on Monday, are raising tensions in light of the ongoing “hot war” in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.
NATO was to begin its annual “Steadfast Noon” nuclear exercises on Monday, alliance Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Thursday, which he presented as a powerful demonstration of deterrent capabilities against the backdrop of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s escalating nuclear rhetoric. Did.
NATO officials said about 60 aircraft from 13 countries taking part in the exercise, hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands, will include F-35A fighters and B-52 bombers.
“In a situation of a heated war, which is ongoing within the framework of the Ukrainian conflict, such exercises lead to nothing but further escalation of tensions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Peskov said that it is also impossible to hold nuclear arms talks with the US, despite Washington indicating that it is ready for this, because the Western nuclear powers were involved in the conflict against Russia and therefore the scope of any security talks would have to be very broad. Needed
US President Joe Biden said last Friday after awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, the movement of Japanese survivors of the US atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, that the US is ready to join . Talks with Russia, China and North Korea without any preconditions to reduce the nuclear threat.
“To talk about this issue without connecting it to all other aspects, in the context of a war waged against Russia with the indirect and even direct participation of nuclear powers such as the United States, Great Britain and France Absolutely impossible. Regarding security,” Peskov said.
“In fact, our President has already spoken about this. Russia considers such contacts necessary and they cannot be postponed, but we must consider all security issues holistically, taking into account the current situation “
Peskov rejected a statement by Bruno Kahl, the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service, who said earlier on Monday that Russian forces would be in a position to attack NATO territory by the end of the decade.
“Russia has never moved towards NATO with its military infrastructure, it has always been the other way around,” Peskov said.
“So to say that it is the Russian armed forces that pose a threat to anyone is absolutely false, illogical and, most importantly, contradicts the entire course of history, which has led to the confrontation that we are now all facing together. Experiencing.”
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