RTWed, 30 Jan 2019 11:57 UTC
© EPA-EFE/THOMAS PETER/POOLUS delegation to US Under Secretary of State Andrea Thompson (C) delivers her opening remarks during a nuclear conference in Beijing, Jan.30, 2019.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused the US of bringing a nuclear conflict closer after the
Trump administration ordered the production of a new nuclear warhead, the W76-2.The country's top diplomat reminded journalists that
Moscow voiced its concern last year that the production of small-capacity nuclear weapons "lowers the threshold of nuclear weapons use and, of course, boosts the risk of a nuclear conflict.""Apparently, these plans were put into practice," Lavrov said. "Certainly, it won't contribute to global security."
Russia will now await Europe's reaction to the US move to begin production of the new weapon. The warhead, known as the
W76-2, is being produced at the National Nuclear Security Administration's Pantex Plant in the Texas Panhandle, according to the National Nuclear Security Agency. The US Navy is expected to receive the first batch of new warheads in September.
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Representatives of five major nuclear powers - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States or "nuclear five" met in Beijing on Wednesday. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said at the meeting that the level of potential conflict in the world has reached a dangerous point:
"The situation in the sphere of international security has not stabilized and even continued to deteriorate. Some countries are making dangerous changes to their doctrines, including those leading to lowering the threshold for using nuclear weapons. Moreover, a "nuclear five" refused to adopt a final joint statement at a meeting in Beijing.
"It cannot but cause concern that all these events are taking place against the background of a deepening deficit of mutual trust between the members of the 'nuclear five,' which is an unprecedented challenge for this format. The situation is so serious that this time we even had to refuse to adopt the final statement.
"That is why the issue submitted by Russia regarding the role and the place of the 'nuclear five' both in the context of strengthening the NPT and in a broader perspective, becomes particularly relevant."
Later on the sidelines of the meeting Sergey Ryabkov told reporters that he will hold a separate meeting with US Deputy State Secretary Andrea Thompson on Thursday.
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