Putin's press chief warns of retaliation if Estonia hosts nuclear arms

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has stated that it poses no threat to Estonia or other European countries, but would be forced to take retaliatory measures if nuclear weapons aimed at Moscow were deployed on Estonian territory.

Speaking on behalf of the Russian president, Peskov told journalist Pavel Zarubin that emphasized that Moscow’s actions would be guided solely by the need to ensure national security.

“If nuclear weapons are placed in Estonia targeting us, our nuclear weapons will be aimed at Estonia, and the country must understand this clearly,” Peskov said.

He stressed that Russia does not view this stance as a threat, but rather as a principle of a mirror response to potential steps that could endanger the country.

For the record, Estonia is a member of NATO, and discussions about hosting allied nuclear weapons on its soil have occasionally prompted strong reactions from Moscow. This statement reflects Russia’s ongoing emphasis on strategic deterrence and its insistence on preserving what it considers an acceptable security balance in Europe.

By Khagan Isayev