Washington’s exact intentions remain unclear, the Russian foreign minister has said
FILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. © Sputnik / Sergey Guneev
Moscow has not received any clarifications from Washington regarding the nuclear weapons tests ordered by US President Donald Trump, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. The Kremlin is still working on a proportionate response if the US does resume full-fledged nuclear trials, he told journalists on Saturday.
Last week, Trump ordered the Department of War to begin preparations for nuclear testing, claiming the US is “the only country that doesn’t test.” Trump accused Russia and China of conducting “secret” nuclear explosions – something both Moscow and Beijing have denied.
The Kremlin responded to the development by saying that it would “act accordingly” if any nation abandoned the moratorium on nuclear testing. It also said that Moscow expected clarifications from Washington on the matter.
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Asked for updates, Lavrov said the US still had not clarified its intentions through diplomatic channels. “It is unclear if it is about nuclear delivery vehicle tests or… non-critical explosions,” the minister said, adding that public comments provided by American officials so far suggest they have not come to a “uniform understanding” of their own policy.
Last week, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Fox News that the trials would not involve full-fledged nuclear explosions but could include non-critical ones. Trump himself has since doubled down on his plans to restart nuclear testing while claiming at the same time that he could be working on a plan to denuclearize together with Russia and China.
Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said this week that Moscow would have to prepare for full-scale nuclear tests in response to the US announcement. President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed that Russia would adhere to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, provided other signatories do the same.
Putin also ordered all relevant government agencies, including the Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry, to gather and analyze all necessary information on US plans in order to prepare an adequate response.