State Duma deputy Sobolev: Russia has the right to use nuclear weapons against the United Kingdom and France

Member of the State Duma Defense Committee Viktor Sobolev stated that Russia has the right to use nuclear weapons against states that possess nuclear warheads — in particular, against the United Kingdom or France.

The comment was directed at NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who had warned Moscow the day before of “devastating consequences” in the event of a nuclear strike on Ukraine.

“In response to Rutte, I will say that he is playing with fire. I do not think we will go so far as to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine and against those countries that do not have nuclear weapons. If it is the United Kingdom or France, then we have the right to use nuclear weapons,” Sobolev said in an interview with Gazeta.Ru.

At the same time, the deputy particularly emphasized the extreme danger of such a scenario: according to him, the United States’ reaction in that case would be unpredictable. Sobolev also noted that no one has an interest in such a development of events.

The statement was prompted by remarks from Mark Rutte, who warned that Russia would face “devastating consequences” if it decided to use nuclear weapons to strike Ukraine. The NATO Secretary General made his statement in the context of joint military exercises by the armed forces of Russia and Belarus.

Earlier, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that the country was preparing for war.