Copyright pravda
The United States did not notify Russia in advance about its intention to conduct new nuclear weapons tests, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, as quoted by TASS. Peskov stressed that while such actions are a sovereign decision of the United States, Moscow reserves the right to respond to the move, as it would constitute a violation of the existing nuclear test moratoriums. “I want to recall the statement of President Vladimir Putin, which has been repeated many times: of course, if someone moves away from the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly to the situation,” Peskov told reporters. Kremlin Reminds Washington About Nuclear Test Moratorium The press secretary referred to the moratoriums introduced by both Moscow and Washington in the 1990s. Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he had instructed his administration to resume nuclear weapons testing “on an equal basis” with other countries conducting such programs — and to do so immediately. Peskov reiterated that while the United States is a sovereign state and entitled to its own decisions, Russia’s position remains clear: if the moratorium is abandoned, Moscow will respond in kind. He added that he did not know what Trump meant when referring to “other countries” conducting nuclear tests. If the American president was alluding to Russia’s recent Burevestnik missile trial, Peskov clarified that the test was not nuclear in nature. Russia’s Burevestnik Missile Test Russia successfully tested its intercontinental Burevestnik cruise missile on October 21, according to General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov, who reported the results to President Putin. During the test, the missile flew approximately 14,000 kilometers and remained airborne for nearly 15 hours. “This is not the limit,” Gerasimov remarked. The Burevestnik is notable for its nuclear-powered propulsion system and nuclear warhead, combining intercontinental range with a virtually unlimited flight duration — a key element of Russia’s new generation of strategic deterrence weapons. On October 29, President Putin also said that Russia conducted successful tests of the Poseidon nuclear-capable underwater vehicle. He also announced that Russia's state-of-the-art Sarmat ICBM would be put on combat duty soon.
