Ryabkov Calls Russia's Actions in Field of Weapons A Reaction to US Moves
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Everything that Russia is doing in the field of weapons deployment is a reaction to the steps taken by the United States and its allies, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.
"Everything we do is a reaction to the steps in this area that are being observed by the United States and its closest allies," Ryabkov said in an interview with Rossiya 1 TV channel, fragments of which were published on the Vesti Telegram channel.
He added that American systems have become more common "in regions where it has a direct impact on our security."
Speaking about Russia's rejection of the moratorium on the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles (INF), the deputy minister stressed that Russia had warned Western countries about the possibility of such a step in the absence of changes for the better in the policies of the United States and its allies. In addition, Ryabkov noted that the risk of a nuclear conflict remains.
"It (the risk) does not decrease. The risk of a nuclear conflict remains," Ryabkov concluded, Izvestia reported.
On August 4, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the Russian Federation no longer considers itself bound by a voluntary moratorium on the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range land-based missiles.
The ministry noted that after the termination of the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (INF) in 2019, Russia maintained unilateral self-restrictions in this area, while the United States and its allies outlined plans to deploy missile systems previously prohibited by the treaty and have already moved on to their practical deployment.
