US delays ballistic missile test in show of ‘nuclear responsibility’ amid Russian invasion of Ukraine

‘We did not take this decision lightly, but instead to demonstrate that we are a responsible nuclear power’

The US has postponed the test launch of a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile to avoid any “risk of miscalculation” amid Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on Wednesday said the delay in test launching the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile would not have an effect on US military forces, including nuclear weapons.

The announcement came after Russian president Vladimir Putin said over the weekend that their military’s nuclear forces would be placed on alert as the west continues to hit Moscow with multiple bouts of sanctions.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday reportedly warned that if a Third World War were to take place it would be fought with nuclear warheads, threatening the west of a further escalation.

Minuteman III is a crucial part of the US military's strategic arsenal and has a range of 6,000-plus miles. It can travel at a speed of approximately 15,000 miles per hour and is released from hardened underground silos operated by launch crews.

The US military reportedly conducts at least two tests of the technology per year to ensure stockpiles remain effective.

“We recognise, at this moment of tension, how critical it is that both the United States and Russia bear in mind the risk of miscalculation and take steps to reduce those risks,” Mr Kirby said at a press conference.

He said the deferral of the test was aimed at demonstrating that “we have no intention in engaging in any actions that can be misunderstood or misconstrued”.

“We did not take this decision lightly, but instead to demonstrate that we are a responsible nuclear power,” he added.

US president Joe Biden on Monday said that Americans should not worry about the threat of a nuclear war. He responded with “no” when a reporter asked if Americans should “be worried about nuclear war”.

“We are assessing president Putin’s directive and at this time we see no reason to change our own alert levels,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.

Meanwhile, on the seventh day of the invasion, the White House discouraged any Americans readying themselves to travel to Ukraine to fight Russian troops.

“So Ukrainians have shown their courage and they’re calling on every, they’re calling on every resource and lever they have to defend themselves. You know, we applaud their bravery,” deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

“However, our travel advisory remains [that] US citizens should not travel to Ukraine,” she added.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky had urged foreign nationals to join the “international brigade” of volunteers and waived visa requirements for them to fight Russian troops.

The Biden administration, however, has vowed not to send any American troops into Ukraine as the country is not a formal Nato member.

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