The upgraded tactical bombs B61-12 will arrive in Europe this December, and not the next spring as previously planned, the Politico reports, citing a diplomatic cable and sources. According to the publication, the discussion of this issue took place during a closed-door meeting in Brussels.
«Given the rising volume and scale of Russia’s nuclear rhetoric, a subset of allies requested continued consultations at NATO to ensure continued readiness and consistent messaging,» according to the secret cable received by Pentagon and State Department officials following the NATO defense ministers meeting .
Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder commented on the incident, saying that the United States «while we aren’t going to discuss details of our nuclear arsenal.» The politician stressed that the modernization and replacement of weapons «is in no way linked to current events in Ukraine and was not sped up in any way.»
However, Politico believes that the United States thus only contributes to the escalation between the West and Russia.