Russia accused Japan of “cynical and unscrupulous speculation” over Tokyo’s comments on Moscow’s nuclear threat and vowed to respond to the latest round of sanctions imposed by Japan over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported.

Japanese Prime Minister Hirokazu Matsuno’s chief of staff said on Friday that Japan would introduce additional sanctions against Russia after last week’s G7 summit in Tokyo agreed to tighten measures to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

Matsuno also condemned Russia’s plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, saying it would further escalate the situation and that Japan would never accept “Russia’s nuclear threat, let alone its use.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia said that it is evaluating the implementation of sanctions imposed by Japan regarding its national security and economy, and will not leave Tokyo’s “illegal actions” unanswered.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also denied that Matsuno said Russia was engaged in “nuclear blackmail.”

“The desire to attribute to Russia an unproven intention to use nuclear weapons in connection with the events in Ukraine is nothing more than cynical and unscrupulous speculation,” the agency said.

Russia on Saturday rejected US President Joe Biden’s criticism of Moscow’s plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, saying Washington had stationed such nuclear weapons in Europe for decades.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia called on Japan to show similar “concern” in connection with the deployment of American forces in Europe.

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