NATO will hold a major nuclear exercise next week, the alliance's chief said on October 12, an announcement that came after Russia warned it would pull out of a global nuclear test-ban agreement.
NATO's Steadfast Noon exercise is held annually and runs for about a week. It involves fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads but does not involve any live bombs.
“This is a routine training event that happens every October,” Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. "This year, the training will take place over Italy, Croatia, and the Mediterranean Sea."
Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky said on October 12 that parliament’s lower chamber, the State Duma, will vote on revoking ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) next week.
According to Slutsky, the final vote on the issue will be held on October 19 after the move is discussed in two readings on October 17-18.
Amid international concerns over the move initiated by President Vladimir Putin last week, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on October 10 that Moscow would resume nuclear tests "only after the United States carries out similar testing."
