Russia Underlines Right to Deploy Nuclear Arms on Its Soil, Including Crimea

Russia has the right to place nuclear weapons on its territory, if it deems this move to be necessary, while this also includes the option of stationing them in Crimea, a statement from the Foreign Ministry read on Monday.

 “Russia obviously retains the right, if needed, to deploy its nuclear weapons anywhere on its national territory, including on the Crimean Peninsula,” the Director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms control at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Mikhail Ulyanov told the RIA Novosti news agency today.

 Ulyanov’s statement comes in response to the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin saying in May that the deployment of Russian arms in Crimea would violate the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

 “Any activity or even signals from Russia that they are even considering deploying nuclear weapons in Crimea will be considered a grave breach of the international code of conduct. If this happens, the international community will need to act decisively,” Klimkin said.

Ulyanov added that the US missile defense plans remain a major challenge in relations between Moscow and Washington.

 “Of all the factors which are negatively affecting strategic stability, the most significant is the creation of the (US) National Missile Defense program,” he said, adding that the system was being developed step by step.

FNA

R.S