Posted on 07/10/2024 6:44:17 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
A top Russian diplomat stressed that the Kremlin is unwilling to engage with the White House on arms control issues due to the Biden administration’s Russophobic stance. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov argued that President Donald Trump left the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) to provoke China.
In an interview with The International Affairs published on Monday, Ryabkov explained Moscow’s position on arms control talks with Washington. "We do not have the foundation right now and we are not even close to shaping one in order to launch a tentative dialogue, not talks even, in this field. This is a result of Washington’s destructive policy course," he stated.
Sergei Ryabkov
"Until [the US] clearly show some change for the better in their policy, at the very least, demonstrate that this boundless and unabashed Russophobia has been set aside and is replaced with a slightly more sane approach," he said, adding, "until this happens, there simply can be no dialogue on strategic stability."
Since the end of the Cold War, Washington has abandoned a series of agreements that limited the US and Russia’s conventional as well as nuclear arsenals. Additionally, the Kremlin left the New Start Treaty in response to the White House’s support for Kiev.
The deterioration of the global arms control agreement has coincided with a rise in spending on nuclear weapons and arms overall. Both Beijing and Moscow view the launchers as highly provocative. Ryabkov argued Trump left the INF Treaty to build intermediate-range missiles to intimidate China.
"Americans needed to withdraw from the treaty in order to create such systems to intimidate the People’s Republic of China," Ryabkov said. "And it is no coincidence that we have recently had a sharply intensified discussion about when and where the Americans might begin to deploy their medium-range weapons in the Asia-Pacific region."
Recently, Washington and Moscow have taken steps to use arms limited by the INF Treaty. The agreement barred land-based missiles, and launchers, with a range of 300-3,400 miles. The US has deployed a covert launcher for intermediate-range missiles to Denmark and the Philippines for war games.
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would begin producing weapons that the INF Treaty outlawed. "We need to start production of these strike systems and then, based on the actual situation, make decisions about where — if necessary to ensure our safety — to place them," he stated.
This will be a fun thread!
Doesn’t Russia understand that we are a transgender sodomite country now? Why can’t we be “approach fluid”?
Yup, Trump withdrew from the INF Treaty with Russia, citing Russian repeated cheating.
RESTORING ACCOUNTABILITY TO ARMS CONTROL: President Donald J. Trump is taking decisive action to hold Russia accountable for its violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
The United States has complied with the INF Treaty for more than 30 years, but we will not be held back while Russia cheats.
Russia has produced and fielded multiple battalions of its INF-violating, nuclear-capable missile, which threaten our allies and troops in Europe and Asia.
"Russia has not, unfortunately, honored the agreement, so we’re going to terminate the agreement. We’re going to pull out."
President Donald J. Trump February 1, 2019
https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-withdraw-united-states-intermediate-range-nuclear-forces-inf-treaty/
Well, he can’t run on his record.
Better to destroy the Earth to distract everyone./their logic
Trump is sane. Can’t say as much about FJB or his administration.
Translation: Russia has ruled out nuclear negotiations so long as the Biden regime remains in power.
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