Stoltenberg: NATO considers readiness with more nuclear weapons

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that the alliance is discussing deploying more nuclear weapons and moving them from storage to readiness in response to increasing threats from Russia and China.

Stoltenberg told The Telegraph that consultations are ongoing among members to clarify NATO's nuclear arsenal as a deterrent.

"I won't go into operational details about the number of warheads that should be operational or stored, but we need consultation on these aspects. This is precisely what we are doing," he added.

"Transparency helps convey the direct message that we are, of course, a nuclear-capable alliance," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned that Moscow may use nuclear weapons to defend itself in extreme circumstances.

Russia accuses the United States and its European allies of pushing the world towards nuclear confrontation by providing Ukraine with billions of dollars worth of weapons, some of which are used against Russian territory.

NATO, which has played a larger role in coordinating arms supplies to Kyiv, rarely discusses nuclear weapons openly. 

However, it is known that the United States has deployed nuclear bombs at several sites in Europe.

Reuters