The Secretary of the Security Council in Moscow Mykola Patrushev said on Tuesday that in the event of a threat to existence, Russia is capable of destroying any adversary, including the United States, reports Interfax.

“Forgetting the lessons of history, some in the West are already talking about a revenge that will lead to a military victory over Russia. One thing can be said about this. Russia is patient and does not scare anyone with its military superiority. But it has a unique modern weapon capable of destroying any enemy, including the USA, in the event of a threat to its existence,” Patrushev said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Patrushev, considered Putin’s security and foreign policy ideologue and the leader’s obvious successor in the Kremlin, called it “short-sighted nonsense” that the United States could launch an armed conflict in the event of a direct conflict. a pre-emptive missile strike, after which Russia will not be able to respond.

“American politicians, who are captive to their own propaganda, for some reason remain convinced that in the event of a direct conflict with Russia, the United States is capable of launching a pre-emptive missile strike, after which Russia will no longer be able to respond. This is myopic and very dangerous nonsense,” he said.

Russia will place nuclear weapons in Belarus

His comments came days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had agreed with Minsk leader Alexander Lukashenko to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

“There is nothing unusual here: firstly, the US has been doing it for decades. They have long since deployed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allies,” Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Russian television on Saturday.

He emphasized that such a step would not violate the agreement on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and also reminded that Lukashenko had been raising this issue for a long time.

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell warned Belarus on Sunday against placing Russian nuclear weapons on its territory, saying the move could trigger new sanctions.

“Placing Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus would be an irresponsible escalation and a threat to European security. Belarus can stop it. It’s their choice,” he wrote on Twitter.

Also on Sunday, NATO criticized Russia for its “dangerous and irresponsible” nuclear rhetoric.

“NATO is vigilant and we are closely monitoring the situation. We have not seen any changes in Russia’s nuclear posture that would force us to adjust our own position,” the alliance spokesman said.

The White House later said there was currently no indication that Russia had already transferred nuclear weapons to Belarus.

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