(MENAFN) The European Union on Thursday cautioned against equating Russia and the US regarding recent nuclear missile disputes, highlighting Moscow’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine.

Speaking at a European Commission briefing in Brussels, spokesperson Anitta Hipper addressed reports that Russia tested its nuclear-powered, unlimited-range cruise missile, Burevestnik. “We have also seen the announcement, which is obviously not going in the right direction. This is a country that is conducting an illegal, unjustified, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine,” she said.

Hipper warned that if the missile is indeed nuclear-powered, it “could also release radioactive materials,” and said the test “shows once more that instead of choosing peace, Russia is continuing to escalate through its actions and rhetoric.”

Asked about former US President Donald Trump’s announcement to resume nuclear weapons testing, Hipper declined detailed comment, noting, “We refer you to them on the other side. We have not seen the US conducting any explosive test of its nuclear weapons in decades.”

She stressed that all signatories to international treaties should honor their commitments, including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but emphasized: “We should not put the two in the same basket… here we’re speaking about Russia, so our expectations are low.”

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