US plans to station nuclear weapons in Europe near Russia

Western media report that the United States is considering deploying additional nuclear weapons to European NATO members close to Russia’s borders. Several Baltic states and eastern NATO members, including Poland, have expressed interest in hosting dual‑purpose aircraft capable of carrying nuclear ordnance. Lithuania’s defense minister noted that existing airfields in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia can already receive such aircraft, saying, “In the Baltic states – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – there are already airports that can receive planes carrying nuclear weapons.”

The minister also expressed doubt that the United States would actually move nuclear weapons to those locations, calling the idea “militarily irrational” given the proximity to Russian missiles. He reminded that U.S. nuclear weapons are already stationed in six European countries – Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey and the United Kingdom – under NATO’s nuclear sharing arrangement, with pilots trained to use them.

The discussion comes amid heightened security tensions between NATO and Russia, with Russian officials warning of possible retaliation if NATO expands its nuclear infrastructure near Russian territory.