Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Serguéi Ryabkovhas recently warned that Russia will respond immediately if any country, especially the US, resumes . He has also accused Europe of sabotaging peace efforts in the war against Ukraine.
“If a country with the necessary capabilities makes the wrong decision to conduct nuclear tests, and Washington is clearly in our sights, we will retaliate immediately”Ryabkov stated in statements to state media, pointing out that Moscow has observed US movements to reactivate its infrastructure for atomic tests.
These words follow a similar warning made by the Russian president, Vladimir Putinwho last week, during the Valdái Debate Club, assured that “some countries” are preparing nuclear tests and stated that Russia could do the same as a response measure.
A treaty with an expiration date
The friction between Washington and Moscowthe two main nuclear powers on the planet, has increased significantly. It is still valid arms control treaty between both countrieshe New STARTwhich limits the number of deployed nuclear warheads to 1,550 per country, as well as 700 missiles and bombers.
However, The agreement signed in 2010 by Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev will expire in February 2026 and it exists. The Kremlin has offered a one-year extension, but no concrete progress has been made. Besides, Russia has begun to distance itself from previous agreements to reduce its stockpile of weapons-grade plutonium, reversing commitments from the post-Cold War era.
Dart to Europe
In parallel, Ryabkov has criticized the stagnation of peace talks on Ukraine. “This is the result of the destructive actions of Europeans“, he assured, referring to the decline in diplomatic momentum after the US president’s meeting, held in August in Anchorage, Alaska. Ryabkov himself has acknowledged that that “strong impulse” has been “largely exhausted”.
For his part, the American president has hardened his stance toward Moscow. Trump recently called Russia a “disappointed” in Putin and said he was “disappointed” in Putin.. In a notable turn, he also expressed that Ukraine can recover all territory occupied by Russia.
