To agree to nuclear arms negotiations with the US, Russia set the condition that the West must abandon its policy of weakening Moscow.
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| Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. (Source: TASS) |
On January 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow would not be able to discuss nuclear arms control with the United States without taking into account the situation in Ukraine, accusing Washington of seeking military dominance.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that Washington had proposed separating the two issues and resuming talks on “strategic stability” between the two countries with the world’s largest nuclear arsenals to date.
However, Mr. Lavrov said Moscow did not accept the proposal because the West supported Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
There is no basis for discussing arms control while the West is waging what he described as a "hybrid war" against Moscow, Russia's top diplomat said.
“We do not reject this idea in the future, but we condition this possibility on the fact that the West will abandon its policy of undermining and disrespecting Russia’s interests,” Lavrov said.
The Russian Foreign Minister also accused the West of pushing Ukraine to increasingly use long-range weapons to attack deep into Russian territory.
Such attacks have increased in recent weeks, including one in the southern Russian city of Belgorod that killed 25 people on December 30.
The US has yet to comment on Russia's statement.
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