Russia’s ominous warning over Nato plans to put nuclear weapons in Poland
Russian officials have warned that their patience is not 'limitless'.
Russia and Poland have traded threats of a wider conflict taking over Europe, which could turn nuclear, if Nato moves warheads to its Eastern Flank.
Polish president Andrzej Duda confirmed on Thursday that he had invited prime minister Donald Tusk for talks on May 1 about the possibility of nuclear weapons from another alliance member being deployed in the country.
This is in response to the Kremlin relocating tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, as a signal of deterrence to the West.
Duda’s comments sparked a flurry of angry responses from Russian officials, and even his own PM, who was caught in the dark about his president’s plans.
Russia had already branded the move as ‘provocation’ and now deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned that his government’s patience is not ‘limitless’.
‘If Poland takes the path of further escalation – these verbal games with nuclear weapons – then it means there will be a further round of tension,’ he said.
‘This game is very dangerous, and its consequences may be unpredictable.’
Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov also responded to Duda’s declaration, this time with an ominous warning.
He said the defence ministry will ‘analyse the situation… and take all the necessary retaliatory steps to guarantee our safety’.
Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko poured more fuel into the fire, saying that dozens of tactical nuclear weapons were now in place.
This is the first time Russia has deployed nuclear missiles in a foreign country since the Soviet era.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said any US missiles in Poland could become targets in the event of a Russia-Nato war.
She said: ‘It is not difficult to assume that if American nuclear weapons appear on Polish territory, the corresponding objects will immediately join the list of legitimate targets for destruction in the case of direct military conflict with Nato.’
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