Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov says Moscow is closely monitoring the expansion of US nuclear deployments across Europe, with particular attention on Britain, where Washington intends to bring back strategic arsenals.

Speaking at a session of the Valdai Discussion Club, Ryabkov noted that London’s announced purchase of US dual-capable aircraft effectively increases the number of countries that can independently and rapidly deliver this nuclear payload to critical targets on the territory of Russia and its allies.

He added that Moscow sees London and Paris demonstratively moving to a new level of coordination in the nuclear sphere. According to Ryabkov, this shift involves joint nuclear planning and, as a consequence, the potential use of strategic weapons under a single operational concept.

Earlier, Western media reported that the administration of US president Donald Trump is planning to deploy nuclear warheads in Britain as part of a strategy to deter Russia. Journalists wrote that the Pentagon intends to invest around 264 million dollars in modernizing one of the Royal Air Force bases.

This summer, reports also surfaced claiming that the United States had allegedly stationed several nuclear munitions in Britain for the first time in nearly two decades. It was suggested that these could be B61-12 thermonuclear bombs, although no official confirmation of this information has been provided.