Rutte responds to Moscow's nuclear threats, and the UK leader weighs re-joining the EU

Nuclear tensions: In an interview with Euronews, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has told Russia to stop issuing nuclear threats, after Moscow sent a letter to the alliance saying it is prepared to deploy its nuclear arsenal if its territory – including the enclave of Kaliningrad – comes under attack.

‘Stop’: "We are a defensive alliance. Stop the nuclear threats. This is absolutely not called for and not helpful," Rutte exclusively told the Euronews Defence and Space Summit on Wednesday, at a moment of heightened tension between Russia and the West.

Rutte, however, dismissed the immediate threat to the alliance’s members, saying "we will defend every inch of NATO territory”.

“That threat is not there, and if anything happens, we are ready to counter it,” he explained.

Reuters first reported that Russia had warned NATO in a document that it could resort to nuclear weapons if the alliance attempted to annex the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, while also threatening strikes on “decision-making centres” in NATO member states from the outset of a conflict.

‘Worst-case scenario’: Earlier on Wednesday, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev – also speaking at Euronews’ summit – called for European dialogue with Russia to avert a nuclear attack. While rejecting the Kremlin’s escalatory rhetoric, Radev reminded his European counterparts of the “nuclear card”, noting Russia would be prone to play it if weakened or cornered.

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