“A possible full or partial withdrawal of US forces from Europe should not lead to the emergence of new countries in the region possessing nuclear weapons,” Anton Khlopkov, head of the Moscow-based Center for Energy and Security Studies, pointed out.
He said that such a scenario would run counter to Russia’s interests. According to the expert, Moscow is particularly opposed to the deployment of nuclear weapons near its borders, regardless of whether such armaments would be acquired by a friendly or an unfriendly state.
The Pentagon earlier signaled its readiness to withdraw most of its personnel from Romania amid reports that the US also plans to pull part of its military contingent out of Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakia.