MOSCOW:If non-nuclear European countries, including Finland, allow the storage of nuclear warheads on their territory, it will pose a threat...
MOSCOW:If non-nuclear European countries, including Finland, allow the storage of nuclear warheads on their territory, it will pose a threat to Russia's security, said Gennady Gatilov, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN office and other international organizations in Geneva.
"The presence of nuclear weapons on the territory of non-nuclear-weapon states in Europe, including Finland in the future, certainly poses risks to the national security of our state. We have repeatedly called for the withdrawal of American nuclear weapons from Europe with the elimination of the relevant infrastructure," the diplomat told Izvestia, commenting on the decision of the Finnish government to submit to parliament a proposal to allow the importation and storage of nuclear weapons in the country.
According to him, the risk of an atomic bomb in non-nuclear European countries has increased dramatically, including due to French President Emmanuel Macron's plans to create a pan-European "nuclear umbrella."
Macron outlined this idea in March 2025. Later Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Denmark made it clear that they were open to discussing the issue. Poland went further: it plans to conduct air exercises jointly with France over the Baltic Sea with the participation of Rafale fighters with nuclear warheads to "practice" strikes on "important targets in the St. Petersburg area."
Gatilov, commenting on these plans, noted that Polish "Russophobic leaders not only do not hide their own nuclear ambitions, but also look for any reason to expand aggressive actions against Russia."
Speaking about his work at the United Nations, the diplomat said that Russia "never tires of emphasizing the importance of all participating states observing the spirit and letter of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as the foundation of international security and stability. However, our opponents are not ready for a constructive, mutually respectful conversation yet."
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