US senators' speculations about the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine are absurd and contribute to the escalation of tensions, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on Thursday.
"Speculations about Russia's possible use of tactical nuclear weapons are absurd. The provocative and short-sighted rhetoric of US lawmakers only contributes to the escalation of tensions and increases the risk of the situation sliding to an even more dangerous line," Antonov said in a statement shared among media.
Antonov slammed the resolution as another "crazy initiative" of "Russophobe senators" in the US.
Russia's deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus was done on legal grounds, the ambassador noted.
"We have not violated a single international obligation and have done exactly what the Americans have been doing for decades, deploying nuclear bombs on the territories of European allies," Antonov said.
The ambassador suggested that these speculations serve to prepare the world community for a false-flag provocation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant by sliding a "dirty bomb" there and blaming it on Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in mid-June that Russia had transferred the first part of the nuclear warheads to Belarus and would complete the task of moving tactical nuclear weapons completely by the end of the year. Putin said the deployment was an element of deterrence and a signal to those thinking about inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.
Russian Foreign Intelligence Service head Sergey Naryshkin said earlier in June that Kiev could continue to work on the creation of a "dirty bomb," adding that the possible use of the "dirty bomb" by Kiev would have severe consequences for the life and health of the entire population and ecosystems of Eastern Europe.