MOSCOW, March 7: The United States wants to maintain complete freedom of action in the sphere of strategic weapons and keep ready the option of expanding its nuclear potential at will, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik.
“Other statements by US officials suggest that the US intends to maintain complete freedom of action in this area, keeping various options on hand, possibly including the option to increase its nuclear arsenal, which could be done rapidly. It is presented in such a way that these options can be urgently activated on the president’s first order,” Ryabkov said.
The Russian-US New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) expired on February 5.
In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia was prepared to continue adhering to the New START restrictions for one year and suggested that the United States should reciprocate.
US President Donald Trump called Putin’s proposal a good idea. On February 4, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the parties to the treaty were no longer bound by any obligations or declarations.
(UNI)
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