“Certainly, it’s another, unfortunately, very serious step – towards exacerbating tensions on the European continent”, the Kremlin official said.
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Russia will be forced to take national security measures, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
German media reported Tuesday that the U.S. Air Force would station a minimum of 20 B61-12 nuclear bombs in Germany moving into the third quarter of 2015, as per a defense budget decision made past year.
The deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe is subject to secrecy, but details appear to have been leaked in recent weeks. “Hence, Russian Federation will naturally have to take countermoves, countermeasures for restoring this strategic balance and parity”, Peskov said on Sept.23.
That has led to fears governments may be less cautious about using it.
“The question is being considered”.
A military source said a final decision would be taken after “detailed analysis of the potential threat”. The United Kingdom and France are the only countries in Europe that maintain state-owned nuclear arsenals.
The newer B61 Mod 12 bombs are more accurate and have smaller yields than modifications 3 and 4, which are now deployed in Europe. Twenty older bombs are stored at the base under a nuclear sharing deal, while it is the only facility in Germany, which has kept nuclear weapons since 2007.
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“We also have a policy of maintaining a safe and secure, and effective nuclear deterrent for as long as nuclear weapons exist”, Davis added. “Unfortunately, we now do not have a willing partner for such a negotiation”.
