Does the US want to put nuclear pressure on Russia and China?
According to RT news agency, a senior US government official told Semafor news agency that the country is preparing to announce changes to its nuclear weapons policy on June 7.
Washington is preparing to adopt a “more competitive approach,” the source said, after Russia and China ignored calls for talks on nuclear non-proliferation and arms control. Washington wants to show Moscow and Beijing that they “will face a deteriorating security environment if they continue to refuse to participate.”
The official gave few details about the changes, saying only that developing a new version of the nuclear gravity bomb was part of the US strategy. Washington also wanted key allies to have better long-range strike and surveillance capabilities.
Some of the content is being planned in the expectation that US President Joe Biden will win a second term and will address the expiration of the New START treaty in 2026. This is the last binding bilateral agreement that limits the nuclear stockpiles of the US and Russia. Last year, Russia officially suspended its participation in New START, citing hostile US policies, but said it would abide by the agreement’s core provisions limiting nuclear weapons and delivery systems.
According to the source, the official announcement will be made by Mr. Pranay Vaddi of the US National Security Council.
Semafor is a media company founded in 2022 by former New York Times journalist Ben Smith and former Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith.
Moscow has accused the US of deliberately undermining the Soviet-era system of strategic arms control and reduction treaties. This process began under President George W Bush, who in 2002 lifted the ban on developing national anti-ballistic missile systems. His administration claimed that the 1972 ABM Treaty prevented the US from defending against “rogue states”.
Tensions are likely to rise further as a US-backed plan to equip Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets is implemented, the US-developed aircraft is capable of deploying its nuclear gravity bombs. Washington currently has some of these weapons stationed in non-nuclear NATO countries, including Belgium, which has pledged to contribute some of the jets to Kiev. Russian officials have argued that any F-16 operated by Ukraine should be considered nuclear-capable.
Amid the Ukraine conflict, Moscow has proposed a plan similar to NATO’s nuclear sharing mechanism by transferring part of its nuclear arsenal to ally and neighbor Belarus. Last month, both countries announced exercises aimed at demonstrating their military’s ability to deploy non-strategic nuclear weapons.