Islam Times - Russia Sees No Basis for Strategic Stability Dialogue with US: Diplomat

Islam Times - Moscow currently sees no real interest from Washington to engage in dialogue on strategic stability and arms control, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

"As for paving the way for Russia-US dialogue on strategic stability and arms control, it’s crucial for Washington to abandon - not in words, but in practice - its insane policy of trying to undermine our national security, maintaining confrontation with Russia and inflicting ‘a strategic defeat’ on our country, as well as its defiant disregard for Russia’s interests. Furthermore, any potential discussions on the issue must be comprehensive, focusing on resolving key security issues such as NATO’s aggressive eastward expansion. At this point, we see neither any real interest from Washington to engage in dialogue nor any reason to launch it," the diplomat pointed out, TASS reported.

She also pointed to statements by Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance Mallory Stewart, who had said that Russia linked the resumption of arms control dialogue with the need for the US to end its support for Kiev. "Such an interpretation of Russia’s positions appears to be at minimum oversimplified and one-sided. It’s more than just about Ukraine," Zakharova went on to say.

"First of all, Stewart tried to shift the responsibility for the collapse of the arms control system to Russia. However, when she was reminded of the US’ withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, she immediately changed her tune, claiming that such accusations would lead nowhere, so they’re better put aside," Zakharova stressed.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman also noted that it was the US that pulled out of the Open Skies Treaty and refused to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. In addition, Washington and its NATO allies sought to use the post-Soviet space for their own political and military purposes at the expense of Russia’s core security interests. "And when they faced resistance, they unleashed a hybrid war, seeking to inflict ‘a strategic defeat’ on our country on the battlefield," Zakharova emphasized.

She warned that such actions might lead to a direct clash between nuclear powers.