Russia, in accordance with international law, has every reason to deploy nuclear weapons anywhere on its territory, including in the Crimea, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
According to him, the territory of the Crimea has never been a territory that would fall under the category of a "nuclear-free zone" that exist in Latin America, Central and South-East Asia.
"The Crimea has never been a nuclear-free zone in international and legal sense. It was a part of Ukraine, a non-nuclear state. Now the Crimea has become a part of the state, which, in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, possesses such weapons," Lavrov told Interfax.