US Replacing Old Nuclear Weapon Elements With New Ones

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The United States is replacing old components on existing nuclear weapons in Germany and not deploying new arms, German Ambassador to Russia Rudiger von Fritsch said Monday.

Last week, German media claimed that Washington was planning to deploy its new guided nuclear bombs in Germany at the Buchel air force base this fall.

"There’s nothing new here, there is no new quality or expansion, we’re talking about the fact that components have been replaced where the service dates have expired. This serves the goals of upholding safety by supporting these weapons in a safe condition and I think that’s in everyone’s interests," von Fritsch said at a press conference.

The Russian Foreign Ministry warned that if Washington was to station new nuclear weapons in Germany, it would constitute a violation of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT).

US Department of Defense spokesman Army Lt. Col. Joe Sowers, in turn, told Sputnik that any US nuclear deployments would be carried out in full compliance with the obligations of the treaty.

The NPT Treaty has been ratified by some 191 states, including Japan, Russia and the United States, and entered into force in 1970.