MOSCOW, November 29. /TASS/. Russia’s capabilities allow it to ensure the guaranteed containment of the United States and prevent provocations by the West without getting entangled in a new arms race, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with Izvestia.
"We have substantial technological [and production] capacities on a number of tracks. Both [Russian] President [Vladimir Putin] and our top military officials have repeatedly made specific, substantive references to this. So, I think that, combined with a comprehensive set of measures for guaranteeing our national security interests on rather diverse tracks, we can, without being sucked into a costly arms race, always feel confident and ensure the guaranteed containment of the US and its satellites, while preventing any provocations on their part," he said.
Ryabkov also noted that there are currently no draft documents capable of replacing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). "Some rough drafts remain from the previous era. They are choppy and mostly involve the methodology of tackling this subject rather than the content and basic components of such agreements. Yet, nowadays, even such drafts look like some kind of relic," the senior diplomat remarked.