Russia hits back at US charges on nuclear tests Russia's foreign ministry has reacted sharply to a report in the US media that Russia has likely been secretly carrying out low-yield nuclear tests to develop new weapons.
The Wall Street Journal quoted a US intelligence assessment on Wednesday that said Russia may be conducting the tests at Novaya Zemlya, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.
The foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the accusations are groundless and aimed at trying to smear the country.
The ministry also criticized the United States for not having ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which Russia ratified in 2000.
The statement urged the US to take a responsible approach and ratify the treaty.
The fresh quarrel between the two major nuclear powers raises concerns that moves toward nuclear disarmament may slip back. The US and Russia have announced their intention to withdraw from a key bilateral arms reduction deal, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF. The treaty is due to end in August.
It is also feared that another key deal on an extension of the New START, or Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, will expire in 2021.
NHK
