Due to lack of trust in the West, Russia is planning to build stronger relations with India among other countries. Accusing the United States of provoking global conflicts and thwarting crucial Cold War arms control treaties, Russia’s chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said it is “impossible” for Moscow to have a “minimum level of trust” in the West. .
Claiming that any efforts to reach a meaningful agreement on arms control are hindered by the West’s “double standards”, Russia’s top army commander said the issue is at the current international level due to a lack of trust between Moscow and the West. Has become irrelevant to relations.
Russia and the United States – by far the largest nuclear powers – have both expressed regret at the dissolution of a tangle of arms control treaties that sought to slow the arms race and reduce the risk of nuclear war.
“Overall, the topic of arms control remains in the past, as a return to a minimum level of trust is impossible today because of the West’s double standards,” Mr Gerasimov said, according to a Reuters report.
The Russian top general said Moscow has no trust in the US and other Western countries, so it will develop relations with China, India, Iran, North Korea and Venezuela.
“Without trust, it is impossible to create an effective mechanism for mutual control,” the Defense Ministry quoted him as saying.
“Many countries have started thinking about adequate response measures,” he said.
The United States, which views Russia and China as the largest nation-states for the West, blames Moscow for the collapse of agreements such as the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Is.
The United States formally withdrew from the INF Treaty in 2019, citing Russian violations, which Moscow rejected. The US withdrew from the ABM Treaty in 2002.
President Vladimir Putin suspended Russian participation in the New START treaty, which limits both sides’ strategic nuclear weapons, in 2023, blaming US support for Ukraine. However, Moscow has maintained the weapons, missile and bomber limitations imposed by the agreement – ​​as has the United States.
Gerasimov said the deployment of US missiles in Europe and Asia is fueling a “strategic offensive arms race”, with the build-up of US forces in the Philippines of particular concern to Russia.
He said Russia has noticed increased activity by the US-led NATO military alliance near Russia’s borders. The United States had become a direct participant in the conflict in Ukraine after Ukraine attacked Russian territory last month with long-range missiles supplied by the United States, the general said.
