US production of new nuke warhead increases risk of nuclear war – Russian FM

Published time: 30 Jan, 2019 11:57

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Trident II D5 missile © Reuters

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused the US of bringing a nuclear conflict closer after the Trump administration ordered the production of a new nuclear warhead, the W76-2.

The country’s top diplomat reminded journalists that Moscow voiced its concern last year that the production of small-capacity nuclear weapons “lowers the threshold of nuclear weapons use and, of course, boosts the risk of a nuclear conflict.”

“Apparently, these plans were put into practice,” Lavrov said. “Certainly, it won’t contribute to global security.”

Russia will now await Europe’s reaction to the US move to begin production of the new weapon.

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The warhead, known as the W76-2, is being produced at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Pantex Plant in the Texas Panhandle, according to the National Nuclear Security Agency. The US Navy is expected to receive the first batch of new warheads in September.