Sergey Ryabkov
Russia has refused to yield to the United States in arms control treaties. This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, RIA Novosti reports.
Ryabkov stressed that the Russian state has legitimate interests and concerns of its own – and this should be kept in mind by Western countries when working with the Russian Federation on missile treaties and other issues.
“There can be no one-way street in such matters. There is no room for concessions that are under pressure or do not find reciprocity. Only an equal dialogue can lead to the achievement of balanced, mutually acceptable agreements, ”the agency quoted him as saying.
Ryabkov said that relying on such principles, it would be possible to build successful interaction on issues of international security and stability.
On February 3, Moscow and Washington exchanged notes on the extension of the Treaty on Measures to Further Reduce and Limit Strategic Offensive Arms (START), the Russian Foreign Ministry announced. The countries have officially extended the missile treaty for five years. Thus, it will operate as signed until February 5, 2026.
The treaty stipulates that each of the parties should not have more than 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and strategic bombers. In total, they can carry no more than 1,550 warheads.
The total number of deployed and non-deployed launchers of ICBMs and SLBMs, as well as deployed and non-deployed bombers, shall not exceed 800.
