According to the diplomat, the data on US nuclear weapons, recently published by the State Department, seeks to confuse and does not conform to the counting rules provided for, in the Nuclear Weapons Treaty, the Sputnik news agency highlighted.
The Russian authority warned that the Americans have not reported more than a hundred nuclear weapons, and described as hypocrisy the attempt by the United States and other Western countries to score political points by publishing “fictitious” information about their nuclear arsenals.
Ryabkov referred specifically to the nuclear arsenals of France and Britain, which are beyond scrutiny.
“Any number can be published. The world remembers the ease and disregard to the opinion of the international community with which the UK recently raised, by more than a third, the ceiling on its nuclear warheads”.
He added that Western countries, with their narrative about nuclear arsenals, seek only to exert psychological and military pressure against Russia and China.
The Deputy Foreign Minister stated that there wasn’t the slightest intention of taking into account the nuclear arsenal of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a whole, which three nuclear powers are party to, in the recent call to restore the validity of the START III treaty on nuclear weapons made by the G7.
“It is not possible to seriously discuss this issue without taking this into account. I think the West regrets that it has deprived itself of the possibility of strengthening its own security through dialogue and negotiations,” Ryabkov added.
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