The nuclear test plan has caused confusion in the White House. What the media is writing
- Новости
- World
- The nuclear test plan has caused confusion in the White House. What the media is writing
After US President Donald Trump announced Washington's intention to resume testing nuclear weapons, many officials and experts noted the lack of need for risk. Iran, in turn, recalled how the United States opposed the development of even a peaceful atom. Foreign journalists also noted that such tests are successfully replaced by computer modeling. What foreign media write about nuclear test plans is in the Izvestia digest.
Politico: How realistic are Trump's plans?
Donald Trump has announced his intention to resume US nuclear tests for the first time in more than 30 years. This decision provoked a sharp reaction in Washington: Democrats warn of the danger of radioactive contamination and a possible arms race, while some Republicans support the move as a way to increase pressure on Russia and China. Experts believe that the resumption of testing is not necessary — the US arsenal is already regularly checked for safety and reliability without explosions.
Politico
The United States has signed, but not ratified, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Neither international nor American law formally prevents Trump from resuming the tests. However, the topic remains taboo in Washington, largely because of the consequences of the trials of 1945-1980, which caused thousands of residents Arizona, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico have contracted cancer and radiation sickness. Although later tests were conducted underground, leaks of radioactive substances into the air and soil still occurred.
The US allies are unlikely to support this step, seeing it as a departure from the course of disarmament and the risk of a new nuclear arms race. Also, such a decision could be misinterpreted by Russia and China and provoke an international crisis.
The New York Times: Trump's plan revives Cold War-era controversy
President Trump announced the US intention to resume nuclear tests, explaining that other countries were allegedly conducting their own tests. In fact, no country other than North Korea has conducted explosive tests since 2017. His statement raised fears of a return to the days of the Cold War, when the United States, the USSR and China regularly tested new types of weapons.
The New York Times
Many experts believe that if the United States resumes testing, it will actually give other countries permission to do the same — about 100 days before the expiration of the last treaty on the limitation of nuclear arsenals between the United States and Russia. According to experts, Russia and China are ready to quickly carry out underground explosions at their landfills. The United States, on the other hand, is almost unprepared: its testing ground is a desert area in Nevada.
Nuclear tests do not give the United States significant advantages, but only increase the risk of provoking international confrontation. Despite this, supporters of the resumption of testing say that it is necessary to make sure that the weapon is operational and check the reaction speed to the actions of potential opponents.
The Washington Post: Trump wants to conduct tests for the first time since 1992
Donald Trump has instructed the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons tests for the first time since 1992, saying they should be conducted "on an equal basis" with Russia and China. The White House has not yet clarified the details. The United States currently has no technical or political need to resume testing, and preparations for it may take at least three years. Trump focused on building up China's nuclear potential, which, according to him, is now significantly inferior to the United States and Russia, but may catch up with them in the next five years.
The Washington Post
The Trump administration first discussed conducting a nuclear test in 2020, and a senior administration official told the Washington Post at the time that demonstrating the possibility of a test would be a useful tool for negotiations with Beijing and Moscow. But such an escalation could undermine Trump's recent attempts to cement the image of the "president of the world" as he claimed the Nobel Peace Prize and sought to reduce tensions with the main geopolitical rival of the United States.
Trump's plan is likely related to Russia's recent testing of new nuclear weapons delivery systems. He could also have influenced the tone of the meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping: Chinese officials, according to experts, were surprised by the sudden statement by the US president.
Reuters: Trump's nuclear plan has caused confusion in Washington
President Donald Trump has caused shock and confusion in Washington by announcing that he has instructed the US military to resume testing nuclear weapons in order to keep up with Russia and China. U.S. senators have repeatedly asked if this means the end of the 33-year moratorium on nuclear explosions. However, the military has not provided clear explanations.
Reuters
Violation of the American moratorium on nuclear tests may play into the hands of Washington's rivals by allowing them to conduct their own tests, said the Ploughshares Foundation, which is engaged in reducing nuclear threats. The United States has conducted more nuclear tests than anyone in history - 1,030,000 samples since 1945 — and has extensive data obtained in their process.
The resumption of testing could provoke a new arms race and weaken the security of the United States itself. The country has long maintained the reliability of its arsenal with the help of computer simulations, and real explosions are not needed.
Trump is trying to put pressure on other nuclear powers. However, China has already stated that it expects the United States to comply with the test ban obligations. There is also growing resistance to the idea in the US Congress, especially from senators from Nevada, where nuclear tests have been conducted in the past.
Al Jazeera: Iran condemns US nuclear test plan
Iran has strongly condemned Donald Trump's announcement on the resumption of US nuclear tests, calling the move "regressive" and "irresponsible." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Washington of hypocrisy, recalling that the United States exerted pressure on Iran because of its peaceful nuclear program, while they themselves violate international law.
Al Jazeera
Trump again called for the "complete dismantling" of Iran's nuclear program, saying he would not allow Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons. In June, the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iranian military and nuclear facilities to slow their development. Tehran, in turn, claims that its nuclear program is exclusively civilian in nature and has never conducted nuclear tests, said Ankit Panda of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (recognized as a foreign agent and an undesirable organization in the Russian Federation).
Trump's plans for nuclear tests are linked to a demonstration of the military might of Russia and China, although both countries have not conducted actual nuclear explosions since the 1990s. Nuclear testing is prohibited by the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1996, which the United States, China and Iran have signed but not ratified.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
