US President Donald Trump's announced intention to resume nuclear tests is related to delivery systems, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
“Trump promised to test our nuclear capabilities, which include delivery systems“, he told reporters.
According to the secretary of state, the decision of the US leader to conduct possible tests stems from the desire to ensure the safety of nuclear weapons.
Last week, Trump ordered the immediate start of nuclear weapons tests. He justified his initiative by pointing to other countries that are allegedly doing the same. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov questioned whether the decision meant the US would abandon its commitment to a comprehensive ban on nuclear tests and whether it really intended to conduct them.
In October, Russia successfully tested the Poseidon unmanned underwater vehicle, capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons, and the Burevestnik missile. Peskov stressed that it was fundamentally wrong to consider these tests nuclear, since these weapons only include a nuclear engine as a means of delivery. Moscow is waiting for clarification from Washington on this issue, he noted.
At a Security Council meeting on Wednesday, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said he considered it appropriate to begin preparations for the resumption of nuclear tests at the Novaya Zemlya test site. Putin ordered the collection and analysis of additional information and the submission of coordinated proposals on the possible start of preparations for such tests.
He called the US President's statements on the resumption of nuclear tests a "serious issue".
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty entered into force in 1996. 187 countries have joined it, but only 178, including Russia, have ratified it. The United States, China and Israel have not yet done so. In addition, countries possessing nuclear weapons have voluntarily pledged to refrain from nuclear tests.