Russia weighs resuming nuclear tests amid strained U.S. ties, says Deputy FM Ryabkov. Putin recently eased nuclear doctrine, citing Western escalation in Ukraine. Last test was in 1990.
A possible resumption of nuclear weapons tests by Moscow remains an open question in view of hostile U.S. policies, a senior Russian diplomat was quoted as saying early on Saturday.
"This is a question at hand," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS news agency when asked whether Moscow was considering a resumption of tests.
"And without anticipating anything, let me simply say that the situation is quite difficult. It is constantly being considered in all its components and in all its aspects."
In September, Ryabkov referred to President Vladimir Putin as having said that Russia would not conduct a test as long as the United States refrained from carrying one out.
Moscow has not conducted a nuclear weapons test since 1990, the year before the collapse of the Soviet Union.
But Putin this month lowered the threshold governing the country's nuclear doctrine in response to what Moscow sees as escalation by Western countries backing Ukraine in the 33-month-old war pitting it against Russia.
Under the new terms, Russia could consider a nuclear strike in response to a conventional attack on Russia or its ally Belarus that "created a critical threat to their sovereignty and (or) their territorial integrity".
The changes were prompted by U.S. permission to allow Ukraine to use Western missiles against targets inside Russia.
Russia's testing site is located on the remote Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, where the Soviet Union conducted more than 200 nuclear tests.
Putin signed a law last year withdrawing Russia's ratification of the global treaty banning nuclear weapons tests. He said the move sought to bring Russia into line with the United States, which signed but never ratified the treaty.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for May 5th , covering the latest developments you need to know.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy urged greater pressure on Russia to implement a ceasefire, claiming it could happen at any moment. He emphasized that without increased pressure, Russia will not take significant steps to end the war.
A suspected natural gas explosion in a four-storey residential building in Konya's Karatay district injured 12 people, one seriously, prompting a large-scale emergency response in the early hours of Monday.
Azerbaijan has reaffirmed its support for Syria’s recovery efforts through a high-level visit to Damascus, where officials explored new opportunities for cooperation and conveyed a message from President Ilham Aliyev to Syria’s interim leadership.
Sudden strong winds capsized four tourist boats in China's Guizhou province, leaving nine dead, one missing, and dozens injured, prompting a major rescue operation and calls for improved safety measures.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy urged greater pressure on Russia to implement a ceasefire, claiming it could happen at any moment. He emphasized that without increased pressure, Russia will not take significant steps to end the war.
A suspected natural gas explosion in a four-storey residential building in Konya's Karatay district injured 12 people, one seriously, prompting a large-scale emergency response in the early hours of Monday.
Azerbaijan has reaffirmed its support for Syria’s recovery efforts through a high-level visit to Damascus, where officials explored new opportunities for cooperation and conveyed a message from President Ilham Aliyev to Syria’s interim leadership.
Sudden strong winds capsized four tourist boats in China's Guizhou province, leaving nine dead, one missing, and dozens injured, prompting a major rescue operation and calls for improved safety measures.
President Trump has unveiled plans to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz prison to detain America’s most dangerous criminals, calling it a return to a time when the country dealt more firmly with lawlessness.
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