Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the Security Council in Moscow, said on Tuesday that in the event of a threat to Russia’s existence, it is capable of destroying any adversary, including the United States, Interfax reports.
Vladimir Putin and Nikolai PatrusevPhoto: TASS / ddp USA / Profimedia
“Forgetting the lessons of history, some in the West are already talking about revenge, which will lead to a military victory over Russia. We can say one thing about it. Russia is patient and does not intimidate anyone with its military advantage. But it has unique modern weapons capable of destroying any enemy, including the United States, in the event of a threat to its existence,” Patrushev said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Considered Putin’s ideologue on security and foreign policy issues, as well as the leader’s apparent successor in the Kremlin, Patrushev described as “short-sighted nonsense” the view that, in the event of a direct conflict, the United States is capable of launching a pre-emptive missile strike , after which Russia will not be able to respond.
“For some reason, American politicians who are held captive by their own propaganda remain confident that in the event of a direct conflict with Russia, the United States is capable of launching a pre-emptive missile strike, after which Russia will no longer be able to respond. This is myopic and very dangerous nonsense,” he declared.
Russia will place nuclear weapons in Belarus
His comments come just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he had agreed with Minsk leader Alexander Lukashenko to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil.
“There is nothing unusual here: first of all, the United States has been doing this for decades. They have long deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allies,” Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast on Russian television on Saturday.
He insisted that such a move would not violate nuclear non-proliferation agreements, also recalling that Lukashenko had been raising the issue for a long time.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Belarus on Sunday against hosting Russian nuclear weapons on its territory, saying the move could trigger further sanctions.
“Hosting of Russian nuclear weapons by Belarus would be an irresponsible escalation and a threat to European security. Belarus can stop this. It’s their choice,” he tweeted.
Also on Sunday, NATO criticized Russia for its “dangerous and irresponsible” nuclear rhetoric.
“NATO is vigilant and we are closely monitoring the situation. We have not seen any change in Russia’s nuclear posture that would cause us to adjust our own position,” an alliance spokesman said.
The White House later stated that there is currently no indication that Russia has already transferred nuclear weapons to Belarus.
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