Russia, West Have To Agree On Coexistence Principles To Start Arms Control Talks - Ryabkov

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th January, 2023) Russia and the West have to first agree on the basic coexistence principles before continuing dialogue on arms control, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Thursday.

"Overwhelming aggressiveness of the United States that focuses on 'strategically defeating' Russia in a total hybrid war against us has made it practically impossible to continue constructive and fruitful cooperation with Washington on arms control 'as usual.' Of course, it does not mean that we are abandoning arms control as such," Ryabkov told the Kommersant newspaper.

The deputy minister noted that it was necessary to agree with Western countries on the principles of coexistence that could reduce the risk of a conflict before reaching long-term agreements on arms control.

Ryabkov further said that it would be "very unfortunate" if the arms control regime under the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between Russia and the US collapsed, but added that Moscow did not intend to "force" Washington to stay in the treaty against its will.

At the same time, the official said that Russia and the US would have to discuss the issue of intermediate-range nuclear missiles once there were conditions for the resumption of talks on arms control.

"If and when conditions to resume the strategic dialogue with the US are ripe, the issue of 'post-INF' (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) will surely have to be a part of the security equation that needs to be jointly worked on," Ryabkov said.

The INF treaty, a cornerstone of the European security, was signed between the Soviet Union and the US in 1987, paving the way for the banning and destruction of all short- and intermediate-range ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges from 500-5,500 kilometers (310-3,415 miles) in Europe. In 2019, former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the treaty.