Moscow is ready to resume
full-fledged negotiations with the US on strategic stability and security,
Putin said
© Mikhail Klementiev/Russian
Presidential press service/TASS
MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/. Russian
President Vladimir Putin has said that Washington’s endeavors to dismantle the
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty can result in an unrestrained
arms race.
"In our opinion, the United States’ actions, which led to the termination
of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, will inevitably entail the
weakening and undermining of the entire global security architecture, including
the strategic offensive arms treaty and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons," the head of state said in a statement released by the
Kremlin press service.
"This scenario means the resumption of an unrestrained arms race,"
Putin stressed.The US pullout from the INF accord has seriously complicated the
situation in the world and created fundamental risks for all countries,
according to Putin.
"Russia regrets to state that the unilateral US withdrawal from the
Intermediate-Range Missile Treaty under a far-fetched pretext, and the
destruction of one of the fundamental documents in the field of arms control
has seriously complicated the situation in the world, creating fundamental
risks for everyone," Putin specified.
The Russian president emphasized that the American side is "solely
responsible" for what happened.
"Instead of a thoughtful discussion of international security issues, the
United States simply crossed out many years of efforts to reduce the likelihood
of a large-scale military conflict, including the use of nuclear weapons,"
the Russian leader said.
Putin also said that Moscow is ready to resume full-fledged negotiations with
the United States on strategic stability and security.
"Russia deems it necessary to resume without any delay full-fledged
negotiations on ensuring strategic stability and security," the head of
state emphasized.
"We are ready for this," the Russian leader said.
"We are ready for this," the Russian leader said.
Putin has also instructed the Russian Defense Ministry, the Russian Foreign
Ministry and the Foreign Intelligence Service to monitor the steps taken by the
US to develop intermediate-and shorter-range missiles.
"Taking into account the current situation, I instruct the Ministry of
Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Russian Foreign
Intelligence Service to monitor the further steps by the US on developing,
producing and placing intermediate-and shorter-range missiles closely and
carefully," Putin stated.
The president stressed that Russia cannot ignore the current state of affairs
and that it cannot be satisfied with baseless declarations of peace made by US
officials.
Putin added that Russia would be
forced to start developing intermediate-and shorter-range missiles if it is
confident that the United States has launched the production of these weapons.
"In case there is trustworthy information that the US has completed the
development and started production of these systems, Russia will be forced to
launch a full-fledged development of similar missiles," Putin pointed out.
Russia will only place intermediate-and shorter-range missiles as a response to
corresponding steps by the US, the president noted.
According to the Russian leader, Moscow is not abandoning its unilateral
obligations. "All our actions will be of a reactive, tit-for-tat nature.
This concerns the development, production and placement of intermediate-and
shorter-range ground-based missiles. We will not place them in those regions
until US-made intermediate-and shorter-range missiles are placed there,"
Putin stressed.
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