MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2020) US Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea on Friday called Russia's next-generation Burevestnik (NATO name Skyfall) and Poseidon missiles "terrible" and called for their abolition, while citing allegations of a rise in radiation levels in northern Europe.
On Twitter, Billingslea posted a link to an article published by Forbes, which alleged that an uptick in radiation levels, as observed on June 23 by the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization, may have been caused by Russia's development of the Burevestnik and Poseidon missiles.
"We repeatedly warned Skyfall & Poseidon are terrible concepts. Whether or not responsible for latest incident, highlights why Russia should shelve these projects. Big waste of money. Not covered by #NewSTART. Next agreement must," Billingslea wrote on Twitter in an accompanying post.
On Wednesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a press release that dozens of countries across the world have seen no increase in radiation levels and that there was no risk to human health after a supposed spike was reported by scientists in northern Europe.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that no alerts or warnings were raised in Russia over an increase in radiation levels. Peskov added that all of Russia's warning systems are in perfect working condition.
Burevestnik and Poseidon are two of the six new strategic weapons that were unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 1, 2018.
