U.S. has no plans to forward-deploy nuclear arms to Korea: State Dept.

The United States has no plans to forward-deploy nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula, a State Department spokesperson said Thursday, amid a resurgent debate over the idea of Washington redeploying tactical nuclear arms to Korea for deterrence against North Korean threats. Vedant Patel, the department's deputy spokesperson, made the remarks in response to a question about Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's recent remarks that Moscow may consider additional nuclear deterrence steps in the event of the U.S. deploying ground-launched intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM) to the Indo-Pacific. "Let me just say that the U.S. does not assess returning nuclear weapons to the Indo-Pacific as necessary at this time," Patel told a press briefing. "The U.S. has no plans to forward-deploy nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula." State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel is seen answering questions during a daily press briefing at the department in Washington on Aug. 14, 2023 in this captured i mage. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) He pointed out that it was Russia that has engaged in "nuclear saber-rattling." "Let's not forget that it is the Russian Federation that time and time again dating back to the early days of its aggression into Ukraine that it has recklessly participated in a nuclear saber-rattling, talking about the use and deployment of nuclear weapons," Patel said. In a recent interview with Rossiya Segodnya, a Russian media group, Lavrov said that Moscow may consider taking additional steps to strengthen its nuclear deterrence should Washington deploy IRBMs to the region, according to a transcript on the website of Russia's foreign ministry. A debate over the idea of the U.S. redeploying nuclear weapons to Korea has resurfaced as U.S. Republican senators floated the redeployment idea for stronger deterrence against evolving North Korean threats. At the briefing, Patel also commented on the North having sent balloons carrying trash and fecal matter to the South this week. calling the move "malign" and "destabilizing." "Any kind of aerial object ... certainly, we would find (it) destabilizing and provocative," he said. "We continue to consult closely with the Republic of Korea and Japan against these kinds of malign and destabilizing behaviors." Source: Yonhap News Agency