Moscow Clarifies Nature of Recent Weapons Tests
After a lot of talk about its recent weapons tests, Russia has taken steps to reduce rising nuclear tensions with the US. The Kremlin said that the drills did not include setting off nuclear weapons or doing atomic tests.
Officials said that Russia’s most recent tests were mostly about delivery systems, such as the Poseidon underwater drone and the Burevestnik cruise missile. Both systems can use nuclear weapons, although they were not tested with real warheads.
Source: National Geographic
Kremlin Seeks to Calm Escalating Global Concerns
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, stated that the tests were just part of the normal development of strategic deterrent systems and did not break any nuclear agreements. He stressed that Russia is still following the prohibition on testing nuclear weapons.
Peskov said at a news conference in Moscow that “this cannot in any way be interpreted as a nuclear test,” clearing up any misunderstandings that were going around the world.
Trump Orders US Tests in Response to Russian Activities
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he has instructed the Department of War to start testing new weaponry. He said that the move was essential because other countries were testing their programs.
“Because other countries are testing their nuclear weapons, I told the Department of War to start testing ours,” Trump wrote on social media.
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Ambiguity Surrounds Nature of US Testing Plans
It is still not known if the US will actually blow up nuclear weapons or only test weapons that can carry nuclear warheads. The US hasn’t done a real nuclear test since 1992, which is more than 30 years of restraint.
Experts say that Trump’s comment could be about system-level evaluations instead of nuclear blasts. But ambiguity has made global nuclear watchdogs worried about diplomacy.
Russia Warns It May Respond if US Breaks Moratorium
Peskov said that Moscow would change its mind if Washington started doing live nuclear tests again. He said, “Russia will act accordingly if someone breaks the moratorium.”
President Vladimir Putin has said before that Russia will follow the US’s lead on any big changes to its nuclear strategy. The Kremlin says that all sides need to show prudence for the balance of power to work.
Treaty Commitments and Their Effects on the World
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty was signed by both countries in 1996, but neither has ratified it. The pact says that no one can use nuclear weapons for military or civilian reasons.
Even if technology has come a long way, following the treaty’s rules has helped keep a new era of nuclear escalation from happening. Experts say that more testing might undo years of gains on arms control.
Ongoing Arms Development and Strategic Posturing
Putin said that Russia’s next-generation nuclear-powered weapons might reach any continent and get by missile defense systems. The statement made it clear that Russia is still investing in technology that can stop strategic threats.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says that Russia and the US together have over 11,000 nuclear weapons, which is almost 90% of the world’s total.
