Russia is ready for dialogue with the West on the issue of strategic stability.
(Baonghean.vn) - On November 8, Russian President's spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that the country is ready to conduct dialogue with the West on strategic stability issues, but currently lacks the necessary prerequisites for such a process.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Peskov stressed that no preconditions currently exist, although such a dialogue is clearly necessary. He affirmed that Russia is ready to start such a dialogue.
Asked whether Russia’s withdrawal from the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty would affect global strategic stability, Peskov said the situation would not change in practice. The CFE Treaty was signed by 16 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and six members of the Warsaw Pact in 1990 to reduce tensions between the two blocs.
The CFE sets limits on the deployment of conventional armed forces on the European continent and establishes mechanisms for verification. The treaty, updated in 1999, sets limits for specific countries and territories, not blocs.
However, NATO member states have not ratified the updated version of the treaty. After failing to agree on the terms of the CFE, Russia suspended its participation in the treaty in 2007. In 2015, Russia suspended its participation in the meetings of the Joint Advisory Group on the CFE Treaty, thereby completing the process of suspending its membership in the treaty but remaining a party to the CFE legally. On May 29 of this year, President Vladimir Putin signed a law to abolish the CFE Treaty.
At the press conference, Mr. Peskov said that the West had shown an aggressive attitude towards Russia, but affirmed that when it comes to nuclear weapons, Moscow has its own nuclear doctrine and this has not changed.
Earlier the same day, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev said that the "destructive" policies of the US and its allies are increasing the risk of using nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.
"Mr. Patrushev is the Secretary of the Security Council. He is part of the Kremlin. And his statements are statements from the Kremlin. As for the Russian Federation, we have a doctrine in which everything is clearly presented. There are no changes. This is confirmed by the President," Peskov said.
In addition, Mr. Peskov also stated that Moscow would legally challenge the seizure of Russian assets in the West, and that this determination would lead to a price to be paid by the countries that made the decision. Mr. Peskov issued the warning when asked to comment on the decision of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee on November 7 to support a bill that would consider the possibility of Washington transferring some of the seized assets of Moscow to Kiev.
“This decision is illegal, contrary to all possible norms, and will of course be indefinitely opposed by our country. This determination will bring very serious judicial and legal costs to those who made and abused this decision,” the Kremlin spokesman said. He also affirmed that Russia will study the most appropriate response measures in line with its interests.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Western countries are considering a possible legal basis for transferring frozen assets of the Russian Federation to Ukraine. According to Mr. Blinken, to seize Russian assets, the West must confirm that “there is a legal basis for this action”. Since the spring of 2022, the European Union (EU) has repeatedly announced the freezing of about 300 billion USD including Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves./.