If US nuclear arms appear in Northern Europe, Russia will strike them

In a scenario of a direct conflict between Russia and NATO, Moscow will see US nuclear facilities that Washington may locate in Northern Europe as legitimate targets for surgical strikes, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing, TASS reports.

"You don't have to be a military strategist to understand that such [military] objects will pose a direct threat. Naturally and inevitably, they will be included in the list of legitimate targets determined by the scenario of a direct military clash between our country and NATO,” Zakharova said.

With the advent of US nuclear weapons in the region, the security of Northern Europe "will only be harmed, rather than strengthened.”

Earlier, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that Finland wanted to obtain real nuclear deterrents.

"I would start with the premise that we must have a real nuclear deterrent in Finland. This is what we have because NATO practically gives us three deterrents thanks to our membership [in the North Atlantic Alliance],” the politician noted.