Russia on Saturday called Japan’s comments about Moscow’s nuclear threat “cynical, unscrupulous speculation” and threatened to retaliate to Japan’s latest sanctions for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
After last week’s G7 summit in Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno announced Japan would impose more sanctions on Russia.
Matsuno also criticized Russia’s proposal to put tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, saying it would escalate the situation and that Japan would never accept “Russia’s nuclear menace, let alone its use.”
Russia’s foreign ministry said it would respond to Tokyo’s “illegitimate actions” by examining the impact of Japan’s sanctions on its national security and economy.
The government also disagreed with Matsuno’s labeling Russia “nuclear blackmail.”
“The desire to attribute the non-evident intention to use nuclear weapons in relation to events in Ukraine to Russia is nothing more than cynical, unscrupulous speculation,” the ministry said.
Russia on Saturday downplayed U.S. President Joe Biden’s criticism of Moscow’s plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, saying Washington had done so for decades in Europe.
The foreign ministry encouraged Japan to demonstrate “concern” for U.S. deployments in Europe.
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