MOSCOW, August 29. /TASS/. US military strategists are seriously considering the possibility of using nuclear weapons in Europe, Russian Foreign Ministry special envoy Andrey Belousov said in an interview with RT.

According to the diplomat, Washington’s efforts to initiate discussions on Russia’s non-strategic nuclear weapons serve to divert international attention from what he described as the threat posed by US nuclear weapons stationed in Europe, as well as Washington’s nuclear missile programs and plans.

"Speaking of this danger, it is impossible not to note that Washington’s insistence on initiating discussions at various multilateral disarmament forums on Russian non-strategic nuclear weapons, which do not threaten US territory, suggests that American military strategists are seriously considering the possibility of using nuclear weapons in the European theater of military operations," he said.

"Obtaining objective data on Russian non-strategic nuclear weapons through negotiations or discussions on strategic stability, the introduction of intrusive transparency measures, or their reduction - and especially their complete elimination - would increase the likelihood of a scenario involving the use of nuclear weapons by the US and its allies in Europe," Belousov added.

The diplomat stressed that European countries should recognize the full danger of what he described as Washington’s purely practical approach to the territory of its allies.