Joint exercises between the United States and its NATO allies, which involve the preparation and use of nuclear weapons by the military of non-nuclear countries, is a violation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which undermines this multilateral document, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd October, 2020) Joint exercises between the United States and its NATO allies, which involve the preparation and use of nuclear weapons by the military of non-nuclear countries, is a violation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which undermines this multilateral document, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
Earlier, the Bild publication reported that the exercise, dubbed "Steadfast Noon," was held at Noerfenich airbase in North Rhine-Westphalia with the participation of the German Air Force and their NATO allies. Fighter-bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons were involved in the maneuvers. The main purpose of the exercises was to practice the defense of Germany using nuclear bombs, the publication said.
"US practice of exercises related to the preparation and use of nuclear weapons by personnel of the armed forces of states that do not possess such weapons is a direct, flagrant violation of Articles 1 and 2 of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and this undermines its viability," Zakharova said at a briefing.
"There can be only one solution to this problem the return of all US nuclear weapons to US territory, the elimination of the appropriate infrastructure to ensure the rapid deployment of these weapons on the territory of other states and the refusal to conduct exercises related to the preparation and use of nuclear weapons by military personnel of states that do not possess such weapons," she added.
