Moscow, Nov 5 (UNI) The Russian government has asked the White House to clarify the remarks made by President Donald Trump, who said that Washington will re-commence nuclear testing as Russia and China, he claimed, had been conducting secret nuclear weapons tests.
Speaking to the Russian English language news channel, RT, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, calling Washington's claims false, said neither country has been conducting any nuclear tests, with Moscow and Beijing both abiding by all their international agreements.
"We probably still need to receive some clarifications from the American side," Peskov said.
"Neither Russia nor China has resumed any nuclear tests. Moreover, both Moscow and Beijing insist that all countries remain committed to their obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty," he maintained.
The US President's remarks came after Moscow launched its newly developed Burevestnik cruise missiles, and Beijing's fast expansion of its nuclear weapons arsenal.
The missile as per Moscow, while powered by a nuclear reactor, and being capable of carrying atomic warheads, did not constitute a nuclear test, as it was developed solely for the modernisation of the Russian military arsenal.
Trump, in an earlier statement claimed that the US was the only country which had not been conducting any nuclear tests of late, and would resume tests. Washington, had last conducted full-scale nuclear tests in 1992, with a moratorium being in place since then.
"What the head of the American state means, we simply cannot say right now, unfortunately," the Kremlin spokesman added.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, in an earlier clarification on Sunday had said that the tests ordered by Trump would not involve live detonations, describing them as "non-critical" trials meant to ensure the reliability of aging components.
Putin had previously indicated that Russia would only consider resuming testing if other nuclear powers officially abandon the moratorium.
China had likewise denied the US claims, and instead urged Washington to uphold its obligations under the framework of the global test ban.
UNI ANV CDS