Russia: Arms export industry is being strangled by the US!
The Kremlin believes that the recent US sanctions imposed on the Chinese military are aimed at eliminating competitors in the arms market.
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Mr. Peskov, Kremlin spokesman. Photo:Reuters. |
"By sanctioning buyers of Russian weapons and those with links to the Russian military, the United States is seeking to strangle competitors in the global arms trade,"Reutersciting today's statement by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
This statement was made by Moscow after the US State Department yesterday imposed sanctions on the Equipment Development Department of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense and its head, General Li Shangfu, for purchasing Su-35S fighters and S-400 air defense missile systems from Russia.
The decision was issued under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). This is the first time Washington has used CAATSA to punish a country for trading with Moscow.
Mr Peskov called the new sanctions hostile and unpredictable, but did not say how Russia would respond. "They use this measure so often that one could preclude another," he said.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also said today that the US is "playing with fire" by sanctioning the Chinese military for purchasing Russian weapons, asserting that Washington's actions affect global stability.
According to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute, the US is the world's largest arms exporter with a 34% market share and customers from at least 98 countries around the world. Russia is behind the US when exporting weapons to 47 countries, accounting for 22% of the market share.
