Russia criticizes US for blocking nuclear disarmament process

On April 5, Russia criticized the US for blocking the nuclear disarmament process and accelerating military buildup near Russia.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. (Source: in.reuters.com)

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia regrets that the lack of progress in nuclear disarmament is the result of the destructive and even "openly hostile" policy of the Obama administration towards Russia.

According to Ms. Zakharova, the US military buildup near Russia's borders, including the deployment of a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, has hindered the process of promoting nuclear disarmament.

Ms. Zakharova also stressed that the current US administration has launched the most ambitious nuclear arsenal modernization plan since the end of the Cold War, with an estimated cost of about $350 billion over the next 10 years, proving that Washington is "obsessed with military planning and construction aimed at Russia."

In addition, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman also cited evidence such as Washington's delay in ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, or conducting joint nuclear missions with non-nuclear-weapon member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

However, Ms. Zakharova said Russia is ready to continue discussing strategic issues with the US if Washington adheres to the basic principles of equality, mutual respect for interests and security towards other countries.

According to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) signed by the US and Russia and approved by the US Congress in 2010, the number of US nuclear warheads will be reduced from 1,900 to 1,550 units.

However, in recent years, the Obama administration has sought to increase the budget for modernizing the nuclear arsenal, from $20 billion to $34.8 billion per year.

According to VIETNAM+