Russia’s deputy foreign minister in charge of relations with the United States, non-proliferation, and arms control, Sergei Ryabkov, told local media that the current situation was not “conducive” to arms talks with Washington.
“If the United States expects to win the next arms race, repeating to some extent the experience of the presidency of Ronald Reagan, then the Americans are mistaken,” local media cited Ryabkov as saying.
“We will not succumb to provocations, but we can guarantee that we will ensure our security.”
Russia’s relations with many Western countries deteriorated following its full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with Moscow now claiming to be fighting the “collective West” in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told the West that he was “not bluffing” when he said he would use nuclear weapons if Russia’s territorial integrity was threatened, and has hinted that nuclear testing could resume.
Ryabkov reiterated Russia’s position that it was not threatening a military conflict with NATO, but that any escalation was dependent on the alliance’s actions.
A “rupture” was possible due to Moscow’s poor relations with Washington, but he added that Russia would “never initiate such a step”.
“The situation is not conducive to exchanging signals (on arms controls), even on such key issues,” Ryabkov stated.
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