© Reuters
– Sergey Ryabkov
Russia may be forced to deploy medium-range nuclear missiles in Europe in response to NATO’s plans to do the same, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said today, Reuters reported.
Ryabkov told RIA Novosti that Moscow would have to take the step if NATO refused to commit to preventing such an escalation.
His comments have further raised stakes in East-West relations, which Russia seeks security guarantees from the West, while the United States and its allies have warned Moscow to abandon a possible invasion of Ukraine, an intention Ryabkov has again denied. .
Medium-range nuclear missiles were banned in Europe under a 1987 agreement between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan, which was hailed at the time as a significant reduction in Cold War tensions. Washington withdrew from the pact in 2019 after years of complaining about alleged violations by Russia.
Ryabkov said there were “indirect signs” that NATO was approaching the redeployment of medium-range nuclear missiles, citing last month’s restoration of the 56th Cold War Artillery Command, which operated in response to the Cold War. for the use of Pershing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
“The lack of progress towards a political and diplomatic solution to this problem will lead to our response being of a military-technical nature,” the Russian deputy minister said. “That is, it will be a confrontation, it will be the next round, the emergence of such resources on our part. Right now there are none, we have a unilateral moratorium. We call on NATO and the United States to join this moratorium,” he said.
NATO has said there will be no new US missiles in Europe and is ready to stop the deployment of new Russian missiles with a “measured” response that will include only conventional weapons.
However, Ryabkov said Russia had a “complete lack of trust” in NATO.
“They can’t afford to do anything that could increase our security in any way – they believe they can do what they need to their advantage, and we just have to swallow it all and deal with it. That will not continue. “
Ryabkov also said Russia would present its proposals for further action to the United States, and possibly other NATO countries, in the coming weeks.
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