The United States is thinking about the possibility of full-scale tests of its nuclear weapons, including considering the development of new types of American nuclear weapons, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
He has therefore instructed the Russian Defence Ministry to ensure readiness for testing Russian nuclear weapons if the Americans conduct the tests first.
However, even if Russia ever takes such a step, it will have to do it as a response to aggressive actions by the West.
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty opened the way to disarmament and the removal of tension between the great powers, but today all this progress is offset by the desire of the West to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, which gives it the right to resume such tests, said Mikhail Myagkov, scientific director of the Russian Military Historical Society.
At the same time, the United States has not yet ratified the signed agreement, which leaves a window of opportunity in the issue of testing nuclear weapons.
According to experts, the United States is resuming conducting full-scale nuclear tests due to the presence of a few problems with maintaining a combat-ready and safe state of the nuclear arsenal, one of which is the expiration of the warranty period for the combat use of certain types of nuclear weapons, as well as the development of new types.
Washington has continually emphasised the threat of Russia’s use of nuclear weapons during a special military operation in Ukraine and tries to provoke Moscow into rash steps in the military-strategic sphere.
Experts believe that the United States has also continued to place nuclear weapons on the territory of a few European countries in violation of international treaties.
The Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the NATO member states presented a report indicating information about the storage of American nuclear weapons in five countries: Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Turkey.
According to Hans Christensen, an expert in the field of nuclear weapons, about 20 bombs are stored at each European base, and 50 in Turkey.