Copyright pravda
The Kremlin does not believe a new phase of the arms race has begun between Russia and the United States, despite the recent tests of the Burevestnik missile and the Poseidon underwater drone. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated this in comments to TASS. “No, we don’t think so,” Peskov said when asked whether the tests signaled a new arms race. The tests of Burevestnik and Poseidon vehicles were not nuclear tests, he added. “We hope the information was accurately conveyed to President Trump — in the sense that this cannot, in any way, be interpreted as nuclear tests,” Dmitry Peskov said. Over the past week, President Vladimir Putin announced tests of the Burevestnik missile and the Poseidon underwater drone, both equipped with nuclear propulsion systems. Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the immediate resumption of nuclear testing, saying the United States would conduct such tests on equal footing with other nations that already possess similar programs. In response, the Kremlin noted that Washington had not informed Moscow of any nuclear testing plans prior to Trump’s public announcement. No Active Nuclear Disarmament Talks Peskov also confirmed to RIA Novosti that nuclear disarmament talks between Moscow and Washington are not currently taking place. “Those detailed expert-level negotiations are not being held yet,” he said, adding that the topic has come up multiple times but without tangible progress. According to Peskov, the United States did not notify Russia about any nuclear testing intentions before President Trump’s public statements, highlighting a lack of formal communication between the two nuclear powers. Calls for Urgent U.S.-Russia Strategic Dialogue British analyst Alexander Mercouris urged the United States to immediately open discussions with Russia following President Vladimir Putin’s remarks about the Poseidon underwater system tests. Speaking on retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis’s YouTube channel, Mercouris said urgent talks are needed to extend the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). “The United States must urgently discuss this weapon with Russia and agree to extend the arms reduction treaty,” Mercouris stressed. The analyst warned that Washington should seriously consider nuclear arms control measures to prevent what he called an “approaching catastrophe.”
