Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov highlighted allegations by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) that France and the United Kingdom are secretly planning to supply Ukraine with components for a submarine-launched ballistic missile capable of carrying a thermonuclear warhead, calling it a potential “flagrant violation of all norms and principles of international law.” The SVR claimed the purported weapon would provide Ukraine leverage in ongoing U.S.-brokered peace talks.
The accusations, made Tuesday, come as Ukraine marks four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion, and as negotiations to end the conflict remain stalled. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi dismissed the Russian claims as “absurd,” reiterating previous denials and labeling them as “dirty information bombs.”
According to the Kremlin, the intervention of Western countries in the conflict has transformed it into a broader confrontation with nations Russia believes seek its downfall. This assessment was delivered on Tuesday, signaling a significant shift in Moscow’s framing of the war.
Peace talks, which have been ongoing for over a year, are currently deadlocked over fundamental issues, including the status of the partially-occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson – regions Russia claims to have annexed in September 2022. A source close to the Ukrainian government told ABC News that even if an agreement were reached on 95% of the issues, the remaining 5% represents the core substance of the conflict and remains unresolved.
President Donald Trump, during his campaign and after returning to office, has repeatedly suggested a peace deal was within reach, at one point claiming it was “close to 95% done.” However, recent negotiations in Geneva were described as “difficult” by both Ukrainian and Russian officials.
Russia’s upper-house Federation Council has called for parliamentary investigations in both Britain and France regarding the SVR’s allegations. The Federation Council issued a statement warning that Russia’s nuclear doctrine considers aggression by a non-nuclear state supported by a nuclear power as a joint attack.
Despite the ongoing conflict, Russia experienced economic growth in 2025, a fact that has drawn limited public comment from Western governments. On the streets of Moscow, public discussion of the war remains muted, with few citizens willing to offer their opinions on the conflict.
A fourth round of negotiations is expected to take place this week, though the Kremlin has indicated that the nuclear weapon accusations will be factored into those discussions, potentially as a point of leverage. French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed skepticism that the talks will yield an agreement.
