22:42 11-06-2026

Moscow Urges US Nuclear Weapons Pullout From Europe

RusPhotoBank

Moscow calls for US nuclear weapons to leave Europe as Yuri Svetov warns that EU militarization may raise the risk of nuclear escalation.

Moscow is pressing for the removal of US nuclear weapons from Europe and the dismantling of infrastructure that allows such munitions to be deployed across the region. Political analyst Yuri Svetov linked this demand to the mounting pressure around Russia and the European Union’s rapid militarization in comments to Tsargrad.

According to Svetov, Russia’s position shows that it is prepared to respond firmly to threats near its borders. He said the EU is increasingly taking on the features of a military bloc, with France’s stance causing particular concern. As the EU’s only nuclear power, Paris has already spoken about extending its «nuclear umbrella» to the Baltics, Finland and Sweden — countries located close to Russia.

Svetov also pointed to US nuclear munitions stored at European bases as another major risk factor. He referred to six facilities, including bases in Germany, where bombs are kept and can be quickly prepared for use on carrier aircraft. In his view, a strike on such sites during a conflict could sharply increase the risk of the confrontation moving into a nuclear phase.

The analyst drew a parallel with the Cuban Missile Crisis, noting that Russia does not station nuclear weapons near US borders, while Washington once treated Soviet missiles in Cuba as a direct threat.

Svetov also warned about the rhetoric now heard in the West. Discussions in the United States about the possible resumption of nuclear tests, along with claims in Europe that Russia would not dare use atomic weapons, create a dangerous atmosphere, he said.

At the same time, he doubts Washington will voluntarily remove its nuclear munitions from Europe. Svetov recalled that there have already been cases involving the loss of such weapons, including the Palomares episode in Spain, where a US bomber dropped a nuclear bomb. He said such examples show that the threat of a conflict sliding into nuclear war is real.

Earlier, the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was held in New York. It lasted almost four weeks, but participants failed to agree on a final document assessing the treaty’s implementation over the past five years. The conference showed that the «nuclear five» — Russia, China, the United States, France and Britain — remain divided on several key issues.