Russia Urges U.S. to Eliminate Atomic Structures in Europe

Date: 05 April 2022 - 21:57

News ID: ۱۰۱۲۸۶

MOSCOW (Dispatches) -- Russia on Tuesday called on the U.S. to remove its nuclear weapons across Europe and eliminate their structures.

During a meeting of the UN Disarmament Commission, Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy said that “in violation of the obligations under the NPT, American non-strategic nuclear weapons are retained on the territory of certain non-nuclear European countries.”

“Such weapons and their delivery means are being modernized, and NATO’s so-called ‘joint nuclear missions’ continue, which assumes the involvement of non-nuclear members of the alliance in training in the handling of nuclear weapons and their use,” he added.

Polyansky asked to put an end to this practice urgently and “return nuclear weapons to the national territory of their owner and eliminate the infrastructure for their deployment in Europe.”

He also rejected allegations that Russia might use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

“There are no winners in a nuclear war,” he said in Geneva.

Polyansky said the future of the moratorium on the deployment of land-based missiles will depend on the supply of weapons to Kiev by European countries and the United States.

US approves sale of F-16

jets to Bulgaria

The U.S. State Department on Monday approved the foreign military sale of eight F-16 aircraft and associated equipment to Bulgaria for $1.673 billion, fueling already heightened tensions over the Ukraine crisis.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress regarding the sale, saying it will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the U.S.

According to the DSCA statement, the procurement package will also include 11 F100-GE-129D engines, 11 Improved Programmable Display Generators (iPDG), 11 AN/APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Scalable Agile Beam Radars (SABR) and 11 Modular Mission Computers (MMC) 7000AH among others.

Bulgaria has also asked for 19 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) AIM-120C-7/C-8 or equivalent missiles; 48 LAU-129A launchers; 28 GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs); 11 M61A1 Vulcan Cannons and four AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATPs).

The delivery of missiles, radios, guidance units, ammunition, helmet-mounted displays, test and support equipment, and logistical support is also included in the proposal, the DSCA said.

The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin, Greenville, South Carolina, it said.

It comes after speculation that one of the U.S.’ NATO allies could provide Ukraine with MiG-29 aircraft.