(Reuters) – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Tuesday that suspending participation in the New START nuclear arms control treaty with the U.S. had given Moscow new opportunities to guarantee its security, Russian news agencies reported.
President Vladimir Putin withdrew Russia from the agreement, the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between the two Cold War superpowers, in February. Russian officials said it was foolish to share information on Russia’s nuclear capabilities at a time when the U.S. could pass that information to Ukraine.
“We have gained additional opportunities for ourselves to ensure our security,” Ryabkov told the Rossiya 24 news channel.
He said the United States was using “any channel, any window to see into our military world”, so closing off inspections and data-sharing agreements through New START would hinder U.S. intelligence gathering.
Russia has said it will continue to abide by the limits on the number of nuclear warheads that can be deployed under New START, despite suspending its participation.
Ryabkov also said the West should take account of Russia’s decision to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
“Our opponents have to see the reality of what is happening around them,” TASS cited Ryabkov as saying. “Don’t escalate, don’t provoke us.”
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
