Russia’s security council secretary sees possibility of nuclear weapons in Asia-Pacific

Lead

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu has warned that the emergence of nuclear weapons in the Asia-Pacific region "cannot be excluded," citing the AUKUS military pact and the alleged preparation of Japan and South Korea to accommodate American nuclear arms. Speaking at international security forums in Moscow, Shoigu painted a picture of a crumbling unipolar world order and accused the West of provoking a nuclear arms race among "global majority" countries.

Coverage Comparison

All reporting on Shoigu's remarks comes from the Russian state news agency TASS, which covered the Security Council secretary's appearances at the sixth round of Russia-ASEAN high-level security consultations and the First International Security Forum held under the auspices of Russia's Security Council in the Moscow Region on May 26-29. TASS also reported on related comments by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The TASS dispatches consistently frame the statements as warnings about Western military expansion and the erosion of arms control. Headlines vary in emphasis—some focus on the possibility of nuclear weapons in the Asia-Pacific, others on the AUKUS pact's potential to bring nuclear arms to Australian soil, and one highlights Shoigu's criticism of Japan's "flirting" with NATO and Ukrainian "neo-Nazis." Across all reports, the tone is critical of Western policies, with direct quotes from Shoigu and Ryabkov carrying the narrative.

Key Claims

Shoigu said that "nuclear weapons may also emerge on the territory of Australia due to its participation in the AUKUS pact," a claim carried by multiple TASS reports. He also stated that "Japan and the Republic of Korea are preparing to accommodate American nuclear weapons on their territory with all the ensuing consequences for regional security."

In a broader assessment, Shoigu argued that "the unipolar world architecture is collapsing, while the global majority countries are strengthening their positions." He accused Western states of "undivided desire for external expansion and control over other countries' resources," describing this as "modern manifestations of neocolonialism." He further claimed that "the global majority countries are being provoked in every way into engaging in a nuclear arms race," and that many states that previously had not considered possessing nuclear weapons are now weighing them as their only "safe harbor."

Shoigu also raised several other points, some of which were attributed to him in single TASS reports: France is reportedly "pursuing not only joint nuclear exercises but also the deployment of its weapons in other countries," which he called "categorically unacceptable." He warned that "the consequences of an escalation in the Middle East could directly or indirectly affect the entire world," and that Western satellite communications systems, including Starlink, entail "serious risks." He further claimed that a network of "closed American biolaboratories" operates along the borders of sovereign states, and that the number of displaced persons in Europe has reached a record 63 million. He also alleged that interethnic strife in various countries is fuelled by Western intelligence agencies to facilitate "color revolution scenarios."

On arms control, Shoigu said that "a number of arms control treaties have already been terminated" and that the United States is implementing "highly destabilizing programs" in the Asia-Pacific to build a regional missile defense segment and forward-deploy land-based intermediate- and shorter-range missiles. He expressed "serious concern" over Washington's "categorical rejection" of a Russian initiative to preserve the legacy of the New START Treaty through voluntary self-restraint.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, in a separate TASS report, reminded that Russia's nuclear doctrine provides for the use of nuclear weapons if the country's territorial integrity is breached by aggressors. He said the message is "a warning and a message that should be taken as seriously as possible." Ryabkov also mentioned Russia's proposal to remove spent uranium from Iran, which he said has not yet been taken up but that Moscow hopes discussions will resume. He noted that one of Russia's current goals is to bring relations with the US back to normal.