Russia says return of US nuclear weapons to Britain dangerous

MOSCOW -- A potential return of US nuclear weapons to Britain would be a dangerous step, which could only undermine the European security, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Tuesday.

The statement came amid media reports that the United States is planning to place nuclear weapons in Britain for the first time in 15 years in response to an alleged threat from Russia.

"Regarding the topic of the hypothetical return of American tactical nuclear weapons to the British territory, I would like to warn in the most definite and strict way against this destabilizing step," Ryabkov said.

The Russian diplomat further stressed that such a move would not strengthen the US security, nor would it strengthen the security of Britain.

He said that this would "increase the overall level of escalation" and pose a threat to the European security.

Moscow has its own ways to monitor what is happening in order to draw appropriate conclusions, Ryabkov said.

"We would like to warn NATO ... against further escalation, which is becoming increasingly dangerous," he said.