Russia urges US to eliminate atomic infrastructure in Europe

Russia has called for the return of US nuclear weapons from non-nuclear countries to the US territory, eliminating their infrastructure across Europe.

During a meeting of the UN Disarmament Commission on Tuesday, Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, said that “in violation of the obligations under the NPT, American non-strategic nuclear weapons are retained on the territory of certain non-nuclear European countries.”

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“Such weapons and their delivery means are being modernized, and NATO's so-called 'joint nuclear missions' continue, which assumes the involvement of non-nuclear members of the alliance in training in the handling of nuclear weapons and their use,” he added.

Polyansky asked to put an end to this practice urgently and “return nuclear weapons to the national territory of their owner and eliminate the infrastructure for their deployment in Europe.”

He also rejected the allegations of Russian intentions to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

“There are no winners in a nuclear war,” he said on Monday night in Geneva.

Polyansky also predicted that the future of the moratorium on the deployment of land-based missiles will depend on the supply of weapons to Kiev by European countries and the United States.

Russia’s military operation in Ukraine has been underway since last month, entering its 41st day on Tuesday.

Russian armed forces have entrenched themselves deep in the southern Ukrainian region, while troops are focusing on the Donbas region, according to reports.

US approves sale of F-16 jets to Bulgaria 

The US State Department has approved the foreign military sale of eight F-16 aircraft and associated equipment to Bulgaria for $1.673 billion, fueling already heightened tensions over the Ukraine crisis.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on Monday notified the US Congress regarding the sale, saying it will “support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the US.

“The proposed sale will improve Bulgaria's capability to meet current and future threats by enabling the Bulgarian Air Force to deploy modern fighter aircraft routinely in the Black Sea region,” it noted.

According to the DSCA statement, the procurement package will also include 11 F100-GE-129D engines, 11 Improved Programmable Display Generators (iPDG), 11 AN/APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Scalable Agile Beam Radars (SABR) and 11 Modular Mission Computers (MMC) 7000AH among others.

Bulgaria has also asked for 19 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) AIM-120C-7/C-8 or equivalent missiles; 48 LAU-129A launchers; 28 GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs); 11 M61A1 Vulcan Cannons and four AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATPs).

The delivery of missiles, radios, guidance units, ammunition, helmet-mounted displays, test and support equipment, and logistical support is also included in the proposal, the DSCA said.

The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin, Greenville, South Carolina, it said.

Day 41: Europe expelling diplomats; Russia warns of worsening ties

Tensions between Russia and Europe over the Ukraine crisis take a new turn with France and Germany announcing the expulsion of Russian diplomats and Moscow warning the move will worsen ties.

It comes after speculation that one of the US' NATO allies could provide Ukraine with MiG-29 aircraft. 

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked the countries that have Russian-made MiG aircraft - including Bulgaria - to turn them over for use in the fight against Russian forces.

Ukrainian pilots are already trained on how to fly on MiG aircraft. If Bulgaria sends military assistance to Ukraine, the local forces would be capable of using them without any hesitation.

The US government insists that the agreement is not related to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

During US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to Bulgaria on March 19, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov had rejected the possibility of such a deal.

“Being so close to the conflict, I have to say that currently, we will not be able to send military assistance to Ukraine," Petkov said, adding that assistance would have to be approved by the Bulgarian parliament.

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