Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov admits that the United States will abandon the Nuclear Disarmament Treaty (START III) after Moscow announces its suspension.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in Moscow the suspension of participation in the (new) Nuclear Disarmament Treaty (START III).
‘I’m not ruling anything out. She [Estados Unidos] has already given up many treaties,” said Ryabkov, quoted by the Interfax agency, when asked about the possible position of the United States on START III, the only existing treaty on nuclear disarmament.
Riabkov also noted that it is “difficult to make predictions” about Washington’s response.
The deputy foreign minister also added that the exchange of information and aspects related to the verification activities referred to in the new START will be “without effect for Russia” once the suspension of the treaty is formalized by a “legislative act “.
It is possible that the new position announced by Putin will be voted on and approved by the Russian parliament.
Asked about the decisions Washington would have to make for Moscow to resume the obligations imposed by START III, Ryabkov said “only” Vladimir Putin can answer.
“The president [Vladimir Putin] decides whether the conditions are deepened in the sense of revision or in the sense of clarification of the decision [suspensão do tratado] From yesterday [terça-feira]whether additional countermeasures will be taken. Only the president can make decisions on these matters,” he said.
Riabkov stressed that Moscow “sees no signs” that Washington’s “behaviour” is “changing for the better”, even if it is in “some aspects”.
Russia’s suspension from participation in New START was announced on Tuesday during a speech to the country in the Moscow parliament by Vladimir Putin.
“They want to impose a strategic defeat on us and ‘interfere’ with our nuclear facilities. Therefore, I am obliged to declare that Russia suspends participation in the Strategic Offensive Weapons (New START) Treaty,” said the head of state. .
The new STRAT was signed in Prague on April 8, 2010 by former US heads of state Barack Obama and the Russian Dmitry Medvedev.
The new treaty limited the number of strategic nuclear weapons to a maximum of 1550 warheads and 700 ballistic systems (land, sea and air) for each of the powers.
Source: DN
