MOSCOW. March 11 (Interfax) - The upgrade of U.S. nuclear aerial bombs in Europe may seriously lower the threshold for using nuclear weapons, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's department for non-proliferation and arms control, Mikhail Ulyanov, said.
"Analysis of the characteristics of the new aerial bombs indicates that putting them into service may considerably lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. Instead of being a means of deterrence, such weapons are potentially becoming battlefield weapons, as it was during the Cold War," Ulyanov said in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper published on Friday.
Washington's statements that the new bombs will become less destructive raise serious doubt, he added.
Ulyanov said this when commenting on remarks made by U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller that the upgrade of U.S. nuclear aerial bombs in Europe may reduce their overall numbers and will not lead to an increase of these weapons' military potential.
"She [Gottemoeller] also expressed her opinion that the new bombs, which have a heightened accuracy, will become less destructive. If my memory serves me right in this case, at least other American officials frequently use this very argument. But it raises serious doubt, to put it mildly," Ulyanov said.
The diplomat also dismissed as cynical former U.S. Under Secretary of Defense James Miller's remarks that the presence of lower-yield nuclear weapons in the arsenal would make it possible to reduce civilian casualties, should such weapons be used.
"It sounds quite cynical because, when translated into normal language, it means that American specialists close to the U.S. administration consider the use of the new aerial bombs to be more probable and more acceptable," Ulyanov said.
"This conceals the main risks linked with the fact that Washington is trying to present this as a routine upgrade. In any case, the temptation to use such weapons under certain circumstances may considerably grow," he added.
Gottemoeller said in an interview with Interfax and the Kommersant newspaper in February that the upgrade of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons deployed in Europe would not lead to an increase in the military potential of these weapons.