WASHINGTON, February 20. /TASS/. The American administration expects to push forward with the development and production of nuclear weapons, Greg Mello, head of the Los Alamos Study Group in New Mexico, said.
According to him, the administration of US President Donald Trump leads the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA under the US Energy Department - TASS) via a more hawkish approach. Everything related to nuclear weapons will be accelerated, Mello said in a statement issued by the group of public activists he heads.
The development and production of new weapons will be launched without any public discussion or congressional debate, it said. Almost nothing that Mello has heard recently from representatives of the National Security Council is being openly discussed, he said after a January 26-28 international conference on nuclear deterrence held in Washington. According to Mello, journalists should keep a close eye on what is happening, because at least some information about these new programs and how the agency is currently operating will definitely become known this spring.
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START Treaty), the last of the international legal restrictions on the deployment of nuclear weapons, expired on February 5 and was not extended through the fault of the United States. Washington said it expects to sign a better document by involving China.
On September 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is ready to adhere to the restrictions for another year after the New START Treaty expires, adding though the measure is viable only if Washington acts similarly. A few days later, the American administration positively assessed the initiative of the Russian leader, but issued no official response.