Russia warns of nuclear disaster risk as tensions with NATO escalate

Tuesday 23 December 2025 - 18:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Russia warns of nuclear disaster risk as tensions with NATO escalate

Russia has issued its starkest warning yet about the growing risk of a nuclear confrontation amid deteriorating relations with NATO, accusing Western powers of driving the world toward what it called potential “catastrophic consequences.”

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said during a speech at the Valdai International Discussion Club in Moscow that the current state of relations between Russia and Western nations was “on the edge of an abyss.” He accused the United States, Britain, and France of taking increasingly hostile measures that could lead to direct conflict between nuclear powers.

Ryabkov added that Moscow is willing to provide legal guarantees confirming it has no plans to launch military aggression against NATO or the European Union. He dismissed Western fears of a potential Russian invasion as “cheap provocation,” calling such claims an attempt to justify continued military buildup along Russia’s borders.

Nuclear arms control faces collapse

The warning came as the clock runs down on the New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between Moscow and Washington. The treaty, which limits each side to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads, is set to expire on February 5, 2026. President Vladimir Putin has proposed keeping the limits in place for another year, but Washington has yet to respond.

Ryabkov cautioned that any renewed U.S. nuclear weapons testing could prompt Russia to respond in kind, a move that would end decades of global restraint in nuclear explosive testing.

Peace talks overshadowed by renewed attacks

Meanwhile, peace negotiations led by the United States continued in Miami, seeking to halt the nearly four-year war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the current draft terms as “fair but difficult,” admitting both sides would need to compromise.

However, diplomatic efforts remain overshadowed by escalating violence. On December 22, a car bomb in Moscow killed Russian Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, an incident investigators linked to possible Ukrainian involvement. The attack marked the third killing of a senior Russian military figure in the capital in just over a year.

While Russia claims Europe lacks the willingness for dialogue, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently warned that alliance members could face new security threats from Moscow within the next five years a timeline that underscores the urgency of lowering tensions and strengthening international arms control.