MOSCOW, April 12. /TASS/. Moscow will not discuss Beijing’s initiative on the non-first-use of nuclear weapons for the five nuclear-weapon powers (Russia, China, France the UK, and the US) with Washington, Vladimir Yermakov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department, said in an interview with TASS.
"We have no need to discuss the aforementioned initiative - or any other Chinese idea - with the US. There is not the slightest reason to do so," he noted. "We know perfectly well how the US and its European allies react to such ideas: the Western nuclear ‘trio’ is always strongly dissatisfied with them because its goal is to keep its hands as free as possible in terms of nuclear weapons use," Yermakov added.
"They cover their rejection of Beijing’s initiatives by expressing skepticism about China being sincere, saying that they have no strong reasons to trust China’s doctrinal statements," the diplomat pointed out.
"We view all of China’s security initiatives with respect and carefully review them," the Russian Foreign Ministry official said. According to him, in this particular case, the idea "needs to be seen in the overall context of the military and political reality and in relation to all other important factors influencing international security and strategic stability," he added.
"We believe that such an approach is especially reasonable given a sharp rise in tensions between the five nuclear countries," Yermakov emphasized.