Moscow Responds to U.S. Nuclear Bomb Presence in United Kingdom

There is currently no basis for convening a summit of the so-called Nuclear Five nations — the United States, United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia. This was stated by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in response to reports that the U.S. has deployed nuclear bombs on British territory, according to RIA Novosti.

“There are currently no grounds for holding a summit of the ‘Nuclear Five’. It is important to emphasize that our agencies are closely monitoring developments in this area,” said the Kremlin representative.

The statement comes amid growing concerns over strategic stability and arms control, as major powers increase their nuclear posturing. Russia has previously expressed alarm over NATO activities near its borders and what it views as provocative U.S. actions in Europe.

The proposed summit would have brought together leaders of the five officially recognized nuclear weapon states under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). However, recent tensions — particularly the U.S. decision to relocate nuclear bombs to the UK — appear to have derailed any momentum toward such talks.

The United States has redeployed several nuclear bombs to the United Kingdom for the first time since 2008, according to a report by the UK Defence Journal.

“Multiple sources indicate that several B61-12 thermonuclear bombs have been transferred to the Royal Air Force’s Lakenheath base in Suffolk,” the report states.

The US had previously stored nuclear weapons at RAF Lakenheath during the Cold War, with the last known removal occurring in 2008 as part of broader disarmament efforts in Europe.

“The return of the weapons would mark a significant change in NATO’s nuclear posture in the European theater amid deteriorating relations with Russia and a renewed emphasis on deterrence,” the outlet noted.

The bombs were reportedly transported from the US Air Force’s Kirtland nuclear weapons center to a newly constructed secure facility at Lakenheath. Neither the US Air Force nor UK authorities have officially commented on the alleged deployment.

In recent years, Russia has repeatedly warned of “unprecedented NATO activity” near its western borders. The alliance, however, insists its initiatives are defensive in nature and designed to counter what it calls “Russian aggression.”

Russian officials, including those in the Foreign Ministry and the Kremlin, maintain that Moscow poses no threat but will respond to any actions it deems dangerous to its national interests. They continue to express openness to dialogue with NATO — but only on an equal footing and without further militarization of the continent.

In early June, the British government released a new strategic defense review outlining plans to raise military spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027. The review includes a recommendation to modernize the UK’s nuclear warhead arsenal, with an estimated £15 billion to be allocated for the effort.

Meanwhile, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has urged the US to withdraw its nuclear arsenal from Europe, warning that the practice of nuclear sharing increases the risk of conflict escalation. According to ICAN, the US currently stores around 150 nuclear bombs across five NATO countries — Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Turkey — without issuing formal public declarations.