MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. Moscow still has serious questions for the United States about Ukraine, but the administration of US President Donald Trump has taken some steps in the right direction, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said at a Valdai discussion.
He said that if Washington resumes nuclear weapons tests, Moscow will react in a mirror manner. Russia is ready to ensure its national security, including through the adoption of military-technical countermeasures.
TASS has compiled the key statements of the Russian deputy foreign minister.
About relations with the United States
Russia still has serious questions for the United States over Ukraine, but the Trump administration has taken some "significant steps in the right direction."
Normalization of relations between the United States and Russia "will require a lot of time, a genuine desire from both sides and tremendous work."
The Pentagon's strategic goal of establishing military superiority "over all adversaries" is worrying: "We have some concerns."
On the nuclear threat and arms control
The Russian leadership will determine the "specific parameters" of a response to the threats from the West's deployment of intermediate-range and short-range missiles.
France and the United Kingdom are moving "to a new level of nuclear coordination, which includes joint nuclear planning and, accordingly, the possibility of using nuclear weapons by these two countries under a single plan."
"Russia is objectively ready to ensure that its national security is guaranteed, primarily by further improving the reliability and effectiveness of our deterrence and, accordingly, maintaining a strategic balance by taking military-technical countermeasures."
If Washington resumes testing nuclear weapons, Moscow reserves the right to react in a mirror manner: "If we are talking about the return of the United States to full-fledged explosive testing of nuclear weapons, we reserve the right to react in a mirror manner."
The United States has not yet responded to the Russian initiative to maintain central quantitative limits after the final termination of the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms: "There has not yet been a substantive reaction from the United States to our initiative."
About the politics of Western countries
The EU has shown a "persistent desire" to prevent a rapprochement between the approaches of Russia and the United States to the settlement in Ukraine.
The West's steps have brought the situation in the field of strategic stability "to the edge of the abyss, followed by a descent into a difficult-to-control escalation and a direct armed conflict between Russia and NATO."
European countries have launched "large-scale remilitarization programs" under the pretext of an alleged threat from Russia: "No matter how wild it may sound, but pre-war psychosis is maliciously fueled by calls, I quote almost verbatim, 'to prepare for a large-scale war, similar to the one in which our grandfathers fought.'"
Russia is not going to attack EU and NATO countries: "Russia does not pursue the conquering goals attributed to our country. The maniacal obsession of the EU countries with the chimera of an impending attack on them from Russia is of serious concern."
Even in the context of a more balanced US policy, the risks of a clash between Russia and NATO remain due to the "inadequate hostile actions of European countries."