Russia proposes to the US to sign an agreement to avoid nuclear war

The Iskander-K system is capable of launching 9M729 missiles, a state-of-the-art weapon that has led the US to accuse Russia of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Photo: Sputnik/VNA

According to the newspaper "Kommersant", Russia proposed that the United States sign an agreement on preventing nuclear war, but did not receive any response.

According to the newspaper, Moscow handed over the draft document to Washington in October 2018. The statement noted that in such a war there can be no winners, therefore "war should never be allowed."

Therefore, the Russian side proposed to prescribe all necessary measures to prevent both intentional and accidental use of nuclear weapons. Moscow has been waiting for an answer for six months now.

A spokesperson for the US Embassy in the Russian Federation told the publication that Washington "remains committed to effective arms control."

In early February, the United States announced that Russia had violated the INF Treaty (a document that prohibits the parties from having ground-based ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges from 500 to 5.5 thousand kilometers) and said that the United States began the procedure for withdrawing from the agreement.

Vladimir Putin said that Moscow would respond with proportionate measures and also suspend its participation in the treaty. He also noted that all Russian proposals on nuclear disarmament “are still on the table, the doors are open,” and that Moscow would not engage in a costly arms race.