NYT learned of Russia’s “hints” to deploy nuclear weapons closer to the United States

The publication notes that this coincides with the assumptions of American intelligence that Russia may consider the possibility of deploying new nuclear weapons – tactical nuclear weapons or hypersonic missiles.

At the same time, the newspaper does not rule out that it could be about “intimidation” by Russia.

The WSJ recalled President Vladimir Putin’s November statement at the Russia Calling! forum. Then he said that at the beginning of 2022, the Zircon sea-based hypersonic missile will enter the Armed Forces of the country. Its flight time “to those who give orders” to NATO would be five minutes, he said. According to the head of state, such weapons in the country began to be created in response to threats from the alliance.

The Pentagon previously called the Zircon tests a threat and a “destabilizing factor,” since this weapon system, according to the US military, can carry a nuclear charge.

At the end of December, Putin said that Russia’s response in the event that NATO countries refuse to consider proposals for security guarantees can be “very different”, it depends on the proposals of military experts. in Venezuela. According to him, the decision depends on the “actions of the American colleagues,” although Moscow does not want such a development of the situation. “If Russia was moving in this direction, we would deal with it decisively,” US presidential adviser Jake Sullivan said in response.

Negotiations between Russia and the United States on security guarantees were held in Geneva on January 9-10, and on January 12 a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council took place in Brussels. The parties assessed the consultations as useful, but they failed to achieve concrete results.

All parties assessed the meetings as businesslike and useful. At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, following the talks, declared that NATO was completely incapable of negotiating. US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman called unacceptable some of Russia’s proposals that deal with refusing to admit Ukraine and Georgia to NATO and moving the alliance eastward.