Rhetoric involving the deploying nuclear warheads is concerning, the State Department has said, commenting on Moscow’s response to missile plans of Berlin and Washington.
Earlier this month, the US and Germany announced “episodic deployments” of long-range capabilities in Europe. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that Moscow will keep all options on the table if this happens.
“Any kind of rhetoric about the use or deployment of nuclear warheads is of course concerning and something we will pay close attention to,” State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters during the regular press briefing on Thursday.
“This is something we have seen the Russians do and say, thump their chests a bit,” Patel added, declining to speculate further.