MOSCOW: Moscow assumes that the parties to the Russia-US New START Treaty are no longer bound by the agreement’s obligations and are free...
MOSCOW: Moscow assumes that the parties to the Russia-US New START Treaty are no longer bound by the agreement’s obligations and are free to decide on their next steps, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated.
Despite problems, New START fulfilled its functions — MFA
"In the current circumstances, we assume that the parties to the New START are no longer bound by any obligations or symmetrical declarations in the context of the treaty, including its core provisions, and are in principle free to choose their next steps. In doing so, the Russian Federation intends to act responsibly and in a balanced manner, developing its policy in the field of strategic offensive arms on the basis of a thorough analysis of the US military policy and the overall situation in the strategic sphere," the statement said.
According to the ministry, Russia has not received a formal response from the US to its proposal to comply with the New START limitations. "However, no formal official response from the United States with regard to the Russian initiative has been received through bilateral channels. Public comments from the American side also give no reason to conclude that Washington is ready to follow the course of action in the field of strategic offensive arms proposed by the Russian Federation. In fact, it means that our ideas have been deliberately left unanswered," the ministry said.
Russian diplomats added that this US approach to Russia's New START initiative is misguided and regrettable. "From a practical point of view, our country considers such developments as a fact that must be taken into account when determining further Russian policy in this area," the ministry emphasized.
The statement also said that Russia remains ready to take "take decisive military-technical measures to counter potential additional threats to the national security." "At the same time, our country remains open to seeking political and diplomatic ways to comprehensively stabilize the strategic situation on the basis of equal and mutually beneficial dialogue solutions, if the appropriate conditions for such cooperation are shaped ," the ministry concluded.
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