The United States canceled ballistic missile tests

The United States has decided to cancel the tests of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, Reuters reports with reference to a military source.

Representative of the Air Force (Air Force) USA Ann Stefanek confirmed this information in an interview with RIA Novosti .

According to the Air Force, the next test of the Minuteman III is scheduled later in 2022. The current test was canceled to avoid misinterpretation, the representative of the Air Force noted.

Cancellation of previous tests

On March 2, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the agency had decided to cancel missile tests to demonstrate that the United States had no plans to increase the level of readiness of nuclear forces.

According to him, a nuclear war cannot be won and "should not be started." He stressed that the delayed test of the Minuteman ballistic missile does not affect the country's nuclear deterrence.

"The Sword of Armageddon"

Last year it became known that flight tests of the American advanced intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) will be held in 2023.

According to Popular Mechanics magazine, the new weapon will replace the existing LGM-30G Minuteman III ICBMs — the ground component of the US nuclear triad. The GBSD program assumes financing in the amount of 61 billion dollars for the next ten years. The publication called the new weapon "the sword of Armageddon."

The strategic missile created by Northrop Grumman Corporation "will provide a rapid reaction nuclear weapon delivery system that can hit almost any point on Earth in a matter of minutes," writes Popular Mechanics.

The US Air Force intends to purchase 400 units of GBSD, each of which will be equipped with a W87-1 thermonuclear warhead with a capacity of 335 — 350 kilotons in TNT equivalent.

Chemical weapons

US President Joe Biden said that the potential use of chemical weapons by Russia poses a threat. The American leader promised that in this case there would be a significant response from the United States. At the same time, Biden refused to specify what exactly he means. "I'm not going to say what the answer will be, because then Russia will know what the answer will be," he said.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that Washington will hand over chemical protection kits to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) due to alleged "threats from Russia."

Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, called accusations against Russia of the possible use of chemical or biological weapons unworthy.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, in turn, noted that Russia has neither chemical nor biological weapons. Biden's words about plans for the use of chemical weapons by Russian troops during a special operation in Ukraine, she called slander and malicious insinuations. "The fact is that the United States is not accustomed to listening to anyone but itself," he said.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Programs Deborah Rosenblum promised that the American side will destroy all stocks of its chemical weapons by September 2023.

Nuclear weapons

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on statements about the possibility of Ukraine reviewing its renunciation of nuclear weapons. The politician said that Moscow would not allow Kiev to take such a step.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also noted that Moscow will not allow Ukraine to obtain nuclear weapons.

The head of the ministry also called on the United States to take its nuclear weapons and "return them home", and to completely eliminate the infrastructure created for them in Europe.

The Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Geneva office, Gennady Gatilov, in turn, called for the removal of nuclear weapons from everywhere. According to him, the time has come to do this both in Western and Eastern Europe and around the world. Gatilov also said that Moscow has long demanded that Washington remove military bases from the Russian borders.

Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev recalled the grounds for Russia's use of nuclear weapons. The first situation is when a nuclear missile strike was carried out on the country, the second is another use of nuclear weapons against the Russian Federation or its allies, the third is an encroachment on critical infrastructure, as a result of which the activities of the Russian nuclear deterrent forces are paralyzed.

Also, according to Medvedev, the Russian side may use nuclear weapons when an act of aggression is carried out against itself or its allies, during which the existence of the country is threatened.