Russian Foreign Ministry: Moscow will respond to Washington's stance on nuclear deterrence
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia will have to take into account the U.S. approach to nuclear deterrence and respond with measures necessary to ensure national security. This was the Russian diplomatic department’s comment on the statements of the U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter on nuclear deterrence.
"A major concern is the willingness to use its nuclear capability in the event of an armed conflict with Russia in order to prevent the possibility of our country using nuclear weapons to repel the aggression," the statement read.
"We, of course, will have to take into account the U.S. approach and to take the necessary response measures to ensure our national security," the Russian Foreign Ministry added.
Earlier, Carter said that nuclear weapons are still needed to deter threats from Russia and other countries. According to him, this potential to retaliate would cause "aggressors" to rule out the possibility that they would escape punishment in case of a nuclear attack.
"Today, the most likely use of nuclear weapons is not a massive nuclear exchange in the style of a classic Cold War, but rather irrational use of smaller, but nonetheless unprecedentedly terrible attacks, for example, by Russia or North Korea," ABC News quoted Carter as saying.