UPDATE - Russia says deployment of US weapons in Poland would render them 'legitimate targets'

UPDATES WITH KREMLIN SPOKESMAN'S COMMENTS

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that should the US decide to deploy nuclear weapon in Poland, Moscow would consider them "legitimate targets" in the event of a direct confrontation with NATO.

Responding to a question by Anadolu at a news conference in Moscow, Zakharova criticized Polish President Andrzej Duda's remarks on readiness to host American nuclear weapons on his country's territory, deeming them "provocative."

"Such provocative statements by the Polish leadership are not news. The Polish authorities have not hidden their ambitions to cling more tightly to the US nuclear weapons deployed in Europe and have been talking about it for a long time," she emphasized.

The spokeswoman said the Polish officials always link deployment of nuclear statements with "their hostile policy towards Russia."

"As you understand, if the American weapons are deployed on the territory of Poland, the (Russian) list of legitimate targets to defeat in a situation of direct military confrontation with NATO will be immediately updated," she warned.

To another question about Switzerland's decision to freeze $14.3 billion of Russian assets, including sovereign reserves of the Russian Central Bank, Zakharova said: "We are talking not about 'freezing,' but about embezzlement, theft, banditry."

The official underscored that such measures "grossly violate the norms of international law, including the principles of sovereign equality of states and the UN Charter."

"Any encroachment, no matter how we call it, on the property rights and interests of our country is regarded as nothing more than blatant, cynical theft," she stressed.

Russia will respond based on the principle of reciprocity, she said, noting that retaliatory measures will not necessarily be symmetrical.

Moscow possesses various political and economic tools to respond to unfriendly actions, which could impact Switzerland if the authorities persist in implementing such unjust schemes, the official added.

Separately, speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to disclose Russia's possible response to steps against its assets.

"We will do this in a way that best suits our interests. But, of course, we will protect our interests," he stressed.

Commenting on Canada's decision to allow its Airbus company to buy titanium from Russia for the construction of its aircraft, Peskov said it was an example when the West was "flexible" in order to protect its interest.

"We understand this selective approach ... European and other regional companies can hardly maintain their competitiveness if they stop buying some of our products. In such cases, Westerners act flexibly, ignoring conventionality," he said.