MOSCOW, October 15. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov during a meeting with UK Ambassador to Moscow Deborah Bronnert on Friday emphasized Russia’s position that the new trilateral AUKUS partnership created by Australia, the UK and the US would create difficulties in the sphere of arms control and expressed hope that all three members of the partnership would adhere to their obligations in the sphere of nuclear non-proliferation.
"The Russian side noted that the possible consequences of the formation of AUKUS were being studied. At the same time, it is already obvious that the interaction in this format won’t facilitate the resolution of the tasks of strengthening the international security and stability, will create difficulties in the sphere of arms control. A hope was expressed that the AUKUS participants would strictly adhere to their obligations in the sphere of nuclear non-proliferation," a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry noted that the sides also considered "some other issues of mutual interest."
On September 15, Australia, the UK and the US announced the establishment of a new security partnership in the Indo-Pacific region - AUKUS. Under the agreement, Canberra plans to build at least eight US-designed nuclear-powered submarines as well as to reequip its armed forces with US-produced cruise missiles.
Due to this, Australia terminated a defense contract with France for more than 50 bln euro, the largest in its history, stating that it was no longer in Australia’s national interests. In response, France accused Australia of lying and recalled its ambassadors to Australia and the US for consultations.