Russia says the US is 'deceiving' about nuclear arms negotiations.
The Russian Foreign Minister called the US President's statements about his readiness to negotiate with Moscow on nuclear weapons "deception."
According to RIA Novosti on October 21, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated in an interview that US President Joe Biden's statements about Washington...Ready to negotiate with Russia, China, and North Korea.The idea of nuclear arms reduction without preconditions is a "deception".
"The call for strategic stability, for nuclear arms control without preconditions, is a deception. This means that the US has the right to declare us, in their doctrinal documents, to view Russia as an enemy in order to officially declare that their goal is to inflict 'strategic defeat' on Russia," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Lavrov noted that Washington hopes, based on President Biden's words, that Russia should agree to sit down at the negotiating table on nuclear weapons without requiring Washington to abandon its current policy toward Moscow.
The Russian Foreign Minister also pointed out that the US is currently making a similar offer to North Korea. Lavrov emphasized that arms control negotiations must be conducted on the basis of mutual respect and reject the process of war.
"When they tell you to start negotiations without any conditions, but the goal is to destroy you on the battlefield, is that wise?" - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
Lavrov further noted that long before the events in Ukraine, Russia had proposed that countries hold such a dialogue. He recalled that when the five nuclear powers were conducting strategic dialogue, the US wanted China to participate in negotiations on arms limitation.
"China has rejected this, as their potential is not yet comparable to that of the US or Russia. Moreover, we are not part of any military alliance with China and are not bound by the same obligations that NATO members must adhere to," Lavrov analyzed.
According to Lavrov, NATO is a combination of three nuclear powers: the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. Russia proposed negotiations that would take into account the combined nuclear potential of these three countries, but the United States refused.
"The purpose of the negotiations promoted by the US is self-promotion aimed at fostering in public opinion the idea of arms limits between Russia and the US, without targeting the stockpiles in Paris and London, as well as issues of non-nuclear weapons, which are closely linked to strategic stability. This is also where NATO has a significant advantage over Russia," Foreign Minister Lavrov said.
The Russian diplomat emphasized that dialogue must take all factors into account, not follow "good slogans" that are ultimately driven by the desire to achieve unilateral benefits.
