Russia’s Ambassador-at-Large at the Foreign Ministry, Andrey Ivanovich Belousov, gave an extensive interview to [RT](https://www.rt.com/news/644810-belousov-nato-russia-response/ ) on Aug. 29, in which he outlined why Moscow now considers the removal of U.S. nuclear weapons from Europe a matter of urgent strategic importance. Belousov argued that while Russia drastically reduced its own non-strategic nuclear arsenal in the early 1990s, Washington never made comparable moves. Instead, he said, the United States preserved its nuclear footprint in Europe through NATO’s nuclear sharing arrangements and continued modernizing its strategic capabilities. He has been the Ambassador-at-Large of the Foreign Ministry since 2025, and according to the Foreign Ministry, has overseen the “coordination of preparations and ensuring Russian participation in the 2026 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the subsequent review process under the Treaty.”
Belousov described a long arc of U.S. actions which have brought the world to the brink of nuclear disaster: “The United States, with the support of its closest partners and allies, has disintegrated the system of arms control agreements on nuclear disarmament. The very important treaty on missile defense, essential for strategic stability, has been discarded. The removal of political and international law restrictions on the unchecked buildup of nuclear arsenals, together with Washington’s steps to create a missile defense system for the country combining land, sea, air and space segments—now all under the ‘Golden Dome for America’ program—coupled with the deep modernization of U.S. nuclear potential, upgrading nuclear warheads and creating new carrier systems for intermediate and shorter range missiles, has led to a radical deterioration of the military political situation both regionally and globally.”
According to Belousov, Russia now views the combined nuclear potential of the United States, France, and the United Kingdom as a single, integrated threat. He warned that modern NATO aircraft and rapid deployment capabilities allow nuclear warheads to be moved covertly and positioned close to Russian territory, increasing the risk of a sudden strike. He noted further that NATO’s continued eastward expansion and the push for advanced and extended nuclear deterrence capabilities all “must be considered together to understand the environment in which we live now.”
