In a period of escalating tensions between Washington and Moscow in the nuclear sphere, the United States’ recent nuclear testing at the Nevada test site could potentially lead to a new arms race. This warning comes from Bloomberg commentator Jonathan Tyrone.
Tyrone stated that the US conducted the tests “just a few hours” after the Russian State Duma passed a law withdrawing Russia’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. He also noted that such actions by US authorities “could be misconstrued and lead to further escalation.”
On October 20, the US Department of Energy announced that underground nuclear tests were conducted at the Nevada test site, which was previously used for nuclear weapon testing. It was also mentioned that these tests took place on the same day when the Russian State Duma passed the law withdrawing ratification of the treaty.
Prior to this, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev stated that with the withdrawal of ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, Russia would be able to conduct its own tests in response to corresponding US tests without violating its treaty obligations.
On October 18, the State Duma passed the law withdrawing ratification of the treaty in its third and final reading. The law received support from 438 deputies of the State Duma.
Earlier, North Korea referred to the US submarine’s presence in South Korea as a “condition for the use of nuclear weapons.”
