Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva Gennady Gatilov said in an interview with RIA Novosti that the US efforts to modernize its nuclear triad have been intensified under the pretext of Russia and China's progress in the military-nuclear sphere.
Gatilov stated that the Donald Trump administration has continued to modernize the nuclear triad, consisting of land, sea and air components, using the claim that Russia and China have advanced in the military nuclear field thanks to the New START Treaty.
The diplomat noted that according to estimates by American experts, this program will cost at least $1 trillion over the next 10 years, and Washington's activities to renovate the relevant infrastructure also include the test site in Nevada.
Referring to statements by the US National Nuclear Security Administration, Gatilov said that $350 million has been allocated for the renovation of the Nevada test site, and it is claimed that this step aims to improve the quality of experiments necessary to maintain the reliability of the nuclear arsenal.
However, Gatilov added that Trump's announcement of the US intention to resume low-yield nuclear tests in response to similar actions by Moscow and Beijing has raised doubts about the true purposes of the modernization at the Nevada test site.