Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow’s suspension of participation in the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (START) has nothing to do with the parties’ approach to nuclear confrontation.
“I don’t think that the decision to suspend the START Treaty brings us closer to a nuclear war,” the deputy minister said on the air of the 60 Minutes program on the Rossiya-1 TV channel.
According to the diplomat, interpretations and reasoning may differ: “Those who continue to recklessly, extremely destructively and irresponsibly escalate the situation, increasing the level of risk, and it is the United States and its followers who are pushing the world to the brink of such a catastrophe, can bring the world closer to a nuclear war. We warned the Americans, we did it through closed channels, we do it publicly,” Ryabkov emphasized, adding that they use “the most insidious policy.”
At the same time, the deputy minister emphasized that the suspension of strategic offensive arms in itself does not change Russia’s position regarding “how and in what hypothetical situations nuclear weapons can be used.”
He continued: “There is no direct connection here … But I emphasize again that it is up to the Americans to decide where the world goes next … Ultimately, they must feel responsible for the fate of the world.”
Source: TASS