Iran Press/ Europe: Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, warned against the deployment of US nuclear weapons in Britain and stated that Russia considers this action as an escalation of tension.
The stark warning comes after it was reported that the US Air Force has secured $50 million (£39 million) in funding for a military project that could see American nukes on British soil for the first time in 15 years.
Zakharova's comments were in response to reports indicating an item in the 2024 US Air Force budget. This allocation, as per media reports, is for the construction of a dormitory at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, designated for personnel involved in a "potential surety mission." This term is reportedly a military jargon referring to nuclear safety and security operations.
'If this step is ever made, we will view it as escalation, as a step toward escalation that would take things to a direction that is quite opposite to addressing the pressing issue of pulling all nuclear weapons out of European countries,' Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned at a briefing on Tuesday.
“We will continue to demand the return of all American nuclear weapons to US territory, followed by the removal of infrastructure that would allow them to be quickly deployed in Europe,” she added. 219
