Russia denies nuclear weapons on ships bound for Venezuela

Russian warships en route to Venezuela to take part in naval exercises are not carrying nuclear weapons, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday.

MOSCOW, October 9 (RIA Novosti) - Russian warships en route to Venezuela to take part in naval exercises are not carrying nuclear weapons, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday.

"There are no tactical nuclear weapons on board these ships," Andrei Nesterenko told a news conference at RIA Novosti.

He said the presence of the nuclear-powered Pyotr Veliky missile cruiser in Latin American and Caribbean waters would not violate the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.