The US told a closed-door NATO meeting this month that it would accelerate the deployment of the modernized weapons, which will arrive at European bases in December, according to Politico. Russia has now said it will factor the move into its military planning. “We cannot ignore plans to modernize nuclear weapons, these free-fall bombs that are in Europe,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told state news agency RIA. “The United States is modernizing them, increasing their accuracy and reducing the power of the nuclear payload, that is, turning these weapons into ‘battlefield weapons,’ thereby reducing the nuclear threshold,” Mr. Grusko said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that he will defend Moscow’s territory using all available means, including nuclear weapons, if attacked. It therefore raised concerns in the West when Russia last month said it had annexed four Ukrainian regions. The US has said it aims to bolster its nuclear deterrent with the new weapons. The 2022 US Nuclear Posture Review said: “These flexible, tailored capabilities are key to ensuring that Russia’s leadership does not miscalculate the consequences of nuclear use at any scale, thereby reducing their confidence in both launching conventional war against NATO as well as in considering the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons in such a conflict.”
