Former US Intelligence Officer: Russian New Strategic Weapons Test Caught Trump Off Guard

Sputnik News, Moscow, November 01 - A former US intelligence official, Scott Ritter, told Sputnik News that US President Trump was caught off guard by Russia's statement about the test of the "Poseidon" submersible and the "Kh-47M2" missile, and thus ordered the resumption of nuclear tests.

On October 30, Trump ordered an immediate start of nuclear weapons testing. Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, speculated that the nuclear tests referred to some controlled underground nuclear explosions.

Ritter commented on Trump's remarks in the context of the "Poseidon" submersible and "Kh-47M2" missile tests, saying:

"There are many confusing aspects about what Trump is implying and its consequences. I speculate that this is a political response from Trump to the embarrassment caused by Russian technological achievements."

Ritter pointed out that the US could conduct nuclear tests quickly enough at the Nevada Test Site when necessary. At the same time, he also stated that although the US previously withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty between the US and the Soviet Union, the US is still a party to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

Furthermore, Ritter pointed out that Trump ordered the US War Department to resume nuclear testing, but the country's nuclear arsenal is managed by the Department of Energy.

On October 29, Russian President Putin stated that Russia tested the "Poseidon" submersible on October 28. On October 26, Putin announced the completion of the test of the "Kh-47M2" missile.

Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, previously said that Russia hopes that information about the "Kh-47M2" missile and the "Poseidon" submersible is correctly conveyed to Trump, as these experiments cannot be considered nuclear tests under any circumstances.

On August 5, 1963, the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom signed the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, Outer Space and Under Water in Moscow.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847577711123456/

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