MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/. Russia is capable of ensuring nuclear parity without being drawn into an arms race, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday during a meeting with the students of the Higher Schools of Economics (HSE). One of the participants of the meeting provided TASS with a recording of the conversation.
"Yes, but Russia will not participate in it [arms race], [Russian] President Vladimir Putin said that," Peskov answered a question whether the US’ withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) can be regarded as a launch of a new arms race.
He also recalled that Russia chose to "ensure technological superiority — systems that guarantee national security based on technologies which no one else possesses in the world right now, including Russia’s primary counterpart on issues of global security, the United States."
According to Peskov, the measures taken "ensure parity, it is particularly the nuclear parity that guarantees that there are no major wars, strange as it may seem."
"In the foreseeable future, our country will be capable of ensuring both nuclear parity and national security without being drawn into an expensive arms race and without depriving internal development of significant resources," Peskov said.
Treaty with Japan
Russia and Japan must find ways of signing a peace treaty in spite of the current difficulties, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated during the meeting with the students. "In the current situation, this is practically impossible," Peskov said in response to a question on the potential handover of Southern Kurils to Japan. He recalled that Tokyo has obligations as an ally of the Americans, which imply that the US "has the right to deploy various military infrastructure facilities in any part of Japan, essentially without asking for Tokyo’s permission."
"We understand very well, and President Putin has clearly stated his political will that we have to find ways to sign a peace treaty with Japan, and these attempts, this work will continue, because it is in our interest," the Kremlin spokesman said.
"Japan is an important, great neighbor of Russia," Peskov stressed. "What happened in the past, stays in the past. We need to look together into the future. We want this, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants this, many members of his Cabinet share this commitment, however, this is very, very difficult," he concluded.