Ryabkov: Russia’s decision to suspend START does not bring the world closer to nuclear war

MOSCOW, February 22 – RIA Novosti. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said he does not believe that the Russian Federation’s decision to suspend the Strategic Offensive Weapons Treaty (SNST) has brought the world closer to a nuclear war.

“I do not believe that the decision to suspend START brings us closer to nuclear war. Interpretations may differ, logic may differ. It can be brought closer to nuclear war by those who maintain the peace recklessly, highly destructive, irresponsibly.” “The USA and its satellites. This is what pushed the world to the brink of such a disaster,” Ryabkov said on the broadcast of the Rossiya 1 TV channel.

We warned the Americans – we did it through closed channels, we do it publicly about the harmfulness of their such policies. But the suspension of START does not change anything in our stance on how and in what hypothetical situations nuclear weapons might be used. There is no direct connection here,” Ryabkov added.

In a message to the Bundestag on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia has suspended participation in the Russian-American Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and that the country has not withdrawn from the agreement. Before returning to the discussion, he said, “We must understand for ourselves what countries like France and Great Britain still claim and how to account for their strategic arsenals, namely the combined offensive potential of the (North Atlantic).” alliance”.