MOSCOW: Russia has demanded that the US delegation to the UN disclose any plans for deploying nuclear weapons on the territories of Washington’s allies in the Asia-Pacific region.

“We remain concerned about contradictory signals from America’s Northeast Asian allies, Tokyo and Seoul, regarding so-called increased cooperation with Washington in the nuclear sphere,” the RIA news agency cited Anna Evstigneyeva, Russia’s deputy representative to the UN, as saying.

A US military commander spoke in April of plans to deploy missiles in the Indo-Pacific region in response to what Washington sees as growing Chinese militarisation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Thursday that Moscow may take extra steps in the area of nuclear deterrence if the United States deploys intermediate and short-range missiles in Europe and Asia.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2024