A top Russian diplomat was cited as saying on Tuesday that there is an increasing possibility of a direct military conflict between the two nuclear-armed superpowers, the United States and Russia.
Russian media outlets quoted Vladimir Yermakov, the head of the foreign ministry’s nuclear non-proliferation division, as saying that Washington is raising risks through its dealings with Moscow.
Moscow has regularly accused the United States and what it refers to as “the entire West” of inciting nuclear war in an effort to scare away Kyiv’s friends since the beginning of its attack on Ukraine 14 months ago.
The fate of START (the nuclear armaments deal) may already be decided if the United States maintains its present path of hostility with Russia, with the risks perpetually rising on the verge of falling into direct military conflict,” said Yermakov.
In reaction to Moscow’s decision to halt its New START treaty participation, the U.S. informed Russia in March that it would stop exchanging some information on its nuclear capabilities.
In a clip of an interview that has been released so far, Yermakov has not elaborated on the purported confrontational strategy of the US.
The fate of New START won’t be a concern, according to Yermakov, “but in the worst-case scenario, i.e., if Washington drags the situation to a military confrontation between the strongest nuclear powers,”
This demonstrates once more that the greatest threat facing the world today is not related to the dynamics that led to the first massive strike, which are supposed to be stopped by agreements like the New START, but rather to the risk of nuclear escalation brought on by a direct military conflict between nuclear powers. We deeply regret that these hazards continue to increase.
Moscow and Beijing will evaluate any prospective Western engagement in the U.S. anti-missile system’s global expansion, which “clearly affects geopolitical stability,” he added.
