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“Apart from the role of nuclear weapons and issues related to the ceilings in the nuclear arms area,” the Russian leadership will also take into account the missile defense situation, the creation of non-nuclear precision weapons, the possibility of deploying weapons in space, to which Moscow categorically objects…
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Russian Information Agency Novosti
June 20, 2013
Moscow Links More Nuclear Cuts to Missile Defense – Minister
ST. PETERSBURG: Russia-US strategic nuclear arms cuts cannot be pursued without also addressing missile defense systems, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday.
Strategic stability is affected by the role of defense systems, in particular “the US plans to build non-nuclear weapons” which will be “far more effective than the existing strategic nuclear arms,” he said in an interview with Rossia-24 TV.
Further cuts in nuclear weapons can only be discussed in a multilateral, not bilateral format, with the participation of other nuclear powers, Lavrov said.
In a wide-ranging speech Wednesday in Berlin, US President Barack Obama said he has concluded after “a comprehensive review,” that the United States can cut its deployed strategic nuclear weapons by one-third while still ensuring the nation’s security. “And I intend to seek negotiated cuts with Russia to move beyond Cold War nuclear postures,” Obama said.
Lavrov also said the US review of its missile defense program for Europe does not address Russia’s concerns because “the system remains global” and its components “are being deployed along the perimeter of our borders.”
Russia and NATO formally agreed to cooperate over the European missile defense system at the 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon, but talks foundered, in part over Russian demands for legal guarantees that the system would not undermine its strategic nuclear deterrent. In mid-March, the US announced that it was modifying its planned missile defense deployment to Poland, dropping plans to station SM-3 IIB interceptors in the country by 2022.
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Interfax
June 20, 2013
Russia to take time to thoroughly analyze Obama’s arms cuts proposal – diplomat
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“Apart from the role of nuclear weapons and issues related to the ceilings in the nuclear arms area,” the Russian leadership will also take into account the missile defense situation, the creation of non-nuclear precision weapons, the possibility of deploying weapons in space, to which Moscow categorically objects…
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MOSCOW: Russia will thoroughly examine U.S. President Barack Obama’s proposals on more radical cuts of nuclear weapons, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.
“We will coordinate our reasons with our objectives in ensuring our national security and strengthening peace. Analysis will be interdepartmental and will take some time,” Ryabkov said in an interview published in Kommersant on Thursday.
Asked what factors Moscow will take into account in making its decision, Ryabkov pointed out that “the notion of strategic stability today significantly differs from concepts that existed in the past.”
“Apart from the role of nuclear weapons and issues related to the ceilings in the nuclear arms area,” the Russian leadership will also take into account the missile defense situation, the creation of non-nuclear precision weapons, the possibility of deploying weapons in space, to which Moscow categorically objects, and refusal of a number of countries to take part in key arms control agreements, he said.
“Without taking all these circumstances into account, it is wrong to talk only about the role of nuclear weapons as a factor affecting strategic stability,” he said.
Some media outlets reported that the U.S. expects a reply from Moscow before a Russian-U.S. summit in Moscow in September.
Obama proposed on Wednesday that the U.S. and Russia further reduce their strategic nuclear weapons.
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov suggested on Thursday that other countries possessing nuclear weapons should be engaged in nuclear arms reductions after the implementation of the New START treaty.
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