Merkel called Russia's nuclear capabilities frightening

Russia's nuclear potential is truly frightening. This was stated by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel on November 25.

"We <...> have to recognize that Russia is the largest or, along with the United States, one of the two largest nuclear powers in the world. The potential is frightening," she said in an interview with the BBC.

Merkel also called on Western countries to do everything possible to prevent a nuclear conflict, "Gazeta.Ru" specifies .

In addition, she noted that to ensure peaceful cooperation with Russia "did everything that was possible."

Strengthening the document: How Russia's nuclear doctrine has changed

Why Ukraine is betting on escalation and what happened in the Bryansk region

Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the updated nuclear doctrine on November 19. It includes the amendments announced in September. In particular, for the first time a definition of a potential adversary against whom the Russian Federation conducts nuclear deterrence is introduced.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov specified that the measure brings the norms in this area in line with the current situation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also noted that Russia is strictly committed to the position of preventing nuclear war and defends a world in which nuclear weapons should never be used.

Commenting on the adoption of the document, the US State Department said that Washington had no plans to react to the changes. At the same time, it asserted that the United States and NATO "pose no threat to Russia."

At the same time, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin said on November 20 that the West carelessly met Putin's decision to adjust the state's nuclear doctrine. According to him, Western countries realize that the adjustments largely devalue the efforts of the United States and NATO, which are trying to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Russia.