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German Defense Ministry does not comment on US nuclear weapons at Bundeswehr airbase

Media say the United States intends to place 20 new B61-12 nuclear bombs at an airbase in western Germany

A German Tornado fighter jet AP Photo/Luca Bruno

A German Tornado fighter jet

© AP Photo/Luca Bruno

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US plans for upgrading nuclear weapons in Germany alarm Russia — foreign ministry

BERLIN, September 22. /TASS/. The German Defense Ministry would not comment on media reports, according to which the United States intends to place 20 new B61-12 nuclear bombs at an airbase in western Germany, ministry’s spokesman Gero von Fritschen told TASS on Tuesday.

He said the ministry would not confirm, deny or comment in any way on information of this kind.

Germany’s ZDF television reported on its website previously that the preparation for the deployment of new American nuclear bombs is beginning these days at Bundeswehr’s Buchel airbase (Rheinland-Pfalz federal land).

Journalists obtained this information based on analysis of the US government's budget documents for the current year. They allegedly say that starting from the third quarter of 2015 the allocation of funds will begin to the US Air Force for equipping Germany’s Tornado jet fighter bombers with new nuclear weapons’ system.

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According to the report, "The Bundestag decided in March 2010 by a large majority, that the federal government should ‘press for the withdrawal of US nuclear weapons from Germany.’ Even the coalition agreement between the CDU and FDP, the German government in 2009 had promised the withdrawal of nuclear weapons from Buchel. But instead there will be these new bombs" the total yield of which will be equal to 80 Hiroshima bombs.

According to experts, 10-20 US nuclear warheads are currently stored at the airbase near Buchel. They have been kept there since the Cold War times. Numerous rallies are staged at the airbase every year during the so-called Easter marches in Germany, the participants in which traditionally oppose militarism. The protesters demand to remove the bombs from Germany.

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