Russia Threatens Estonia Over NATO Nuclear Deployment
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov issued the stark warning Sunday after Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna signaled that Tallinn would welcome NATO nuclear assets on its territory should the bloc choose to place them there.
"We do not threaten Estonia, or any other European country," Peskov told a journalist on Sunday. "But if nuclear weapons are deployed on Estonian territory and are aimed at [Russia], then our nuclear weapons will be aimed at Estonian territory," he warned, adding that Tallinn "should have a solid understanding of it."
Tsahkna had stated earlier in the week that Estonia stands ready to host NATO nuclear weapons if the alliance moves in that direction — a position that drew an immediate response from Moscow. Russia has consistently dismissed Western concerns about its military ambitions as "nonsense," rejecting what European officials routinely characterize as a mounting Russian threat.
Tallinn has been among Ukraine's most steadfast backers since the war began, repeatedly calling for greater defense investment across Europe. The country's hawkish posture has not gone unnoticed in Moscow — last year, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova labeled Estonia "one of the most hostile countries," accusing it of "spreading myths and falsehoods" about Russia.
Estonia is not alone among NATO members in signaling openness to a nuclear role. Polish President Karol Nawrocki suggested earlier this month that Warsaw should pursue its own independent nuclear weapons program. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz disclosed at the Munich Security Conference in mid-February that he had held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on the prospect of an EU-level nuclear deterrent. A senior lawmaker from Merz's own party had previously argued that Berlin should be granted access to French and British nuclear arsenals.
The flurry of statements signals a profound shift in European strategic thinking — and a continent increasingly willing to engage with nuclear options it had long kept off the table.
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