Media: US secretly exports nuclear bombs from Europe
The US has secretly reduced its nuclear arsenal in Europe from 150 to 100 B61 nuclear gravity bombs. The reduction affected military bases in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey, the media reported, citing sources.
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) reported that the United States has reduced its nuclear arsenal in Europe from 150 to 100 nuclear gravity bombs B61.
According to FAS experts Hans Christensen and Matt Korda, the reduction affected military bases in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey, Kommersant reports.
"It is possible that the changes, if any, are related to the modernization of these bombs in order to improve their accuracy and functionality," the Russian state agencies suggested.
Oliver Mayer, a researcher at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies at the University of Hamburg, said in an article for Die Zeit that " American nuclear bombs seem to have lost their value as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Russia in the field of arms control."
At the same time, in October last year, it became known that Washington plans to increase the number of medium-and shorter-range missiles in Europe and Asia. This was stated by US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. The US military explained its actions by the alleged increase in such systems in Russia and China.
"China has deployed a large number of missiles, much more than 1 thousand medium-and shorter-range missiles, in the Indo-Pacific region. And so did Russia, and they did it in violation of the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate - range and Shorter-Range Missiles," Mark Esper said at a video conference of the Atlantic Council.
Also, at the end of last year, the German military attache was summoned to the Russian Defense Ministry after Berlin participated in exercises to test the use of tactical nuclear weapons by the United States.
The Defense Ministry explained to the representative of the Federal Republic of Germany the position of Russia in connection with the participation of the German side in the NATO exercises, during which elements of the use of tactical nuclear weapons of the United States are being worked out.
The Ministry called the" gross violation "of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons the participation of personnel and aircraft of dual-use" non-nuclear " NATO member countries in the development of scenarios for the use of nuclear weapons.
"Such actions lead to a lowering of the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, provoke a further increase in tension along the line of contact between Russia and NATO and negatively affect the level of trust in Europe," the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry added.
According to her, Washington's joint exercises with its allies, during which the use of nuclear weapons by countries without nuclear capabilities is practiced, violate the NPT and undermine its viability.
Zakharova stressed that there is only one solution to this problem, namely, the return of all US nuclear weapons to American territory and the elimination of the infrastructure that ensures the rapid deployment of these weapons on the territory of other countries.
The diplomat added that Washington should also refuse to conduct exercises with the personnel of the Armed Forces of non-nuclear-armed states.
In December, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Russia expects the United States to stop deploying its nuclear weapons on the territories of its non-nuclear allies, as this may lead to new risks and violates the provisions of the NPT.
"This lowers what is called the threshold [for the use of nuclear weapons]. And in fact, we are seeing the return of the concept of limited nuclear war. We believe that the US military doctrine took a step 50 years ago, when it was considered that, in principle, the use of nuclear weapons is an option in tactical warfare, " the diplomat stated.
According to him, Moscow takes the emergence of such threats very seriously and is making efforts to prevent situations that could lead to a nuclear war.
As the deputy head of the Russian Foreign Ministry recalled, the Russian Federation proceeds from the fact that nuclear weapons can be used exclusively for intimidation, and their only purpose is to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state.
Andrey Ermolov
