Peskov responded to what NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the British newspaper The Telegraph: “Because of Russian and Chinese threats,” they are discussing the deployment of more nuclear weapons and preparing for them.
“I will not go into operational details about how many nuclear warheads should be put on standby and how many warheads should be kept in storage, but we have to consult on that, and we do,” Stoltenberg said.
“It is clear that what Mr. Stoltenberg said is not in line with the statement that was adopted yesterday (at the Swiss conference on Ukraine), but not everyone signed it. This, if I am not mistaken, says that this kind of rhetoric is unacceptable,” Peskov said. “What the Secretary-General said was an increase in tension.”
“I would like to mention here that when President (Vladimir) Putin talks about this issue, that is, military nuclear issues, he is answering someone’s question: journalists, including foreign journalists (…). He is not talking about this on the Internet,” he added. “His own initiative and he's very attentive.”
Peskov also expressed his opinion that the impact of the conference held in Switzerland on Ukraine is insignificant. This is also supported by the fact that a large part of the participants knew that without Russia, there is no chance for any serious and meaningful discussion, he added.
Regarding Hungary, Serbia and Turkey also signing the final document of the conference, Peskov said that this would not harm their relations with Russia.
Naturally, we will take into account the position of these countries, as it is important to us. Even after that, we explain our arguments to them in detail
Peskov said, adding that Moscow, for its part, will continue to cooperate with everyone who is ready to do so.
Cover image source: Getty Images
