Moscow has warned that Russia is close to a nuclear conflict with the United States because of Washington’s support for Ukraine.
Vladimir Yermakov, the head of the foreign ministry’s nonproliferation department, told the Tass news agency that Washington is escalating the stakes through its behavior with the Kremlin — the latest in a series of threats from top Russian officials.
He said that the dangers of a direct military confrontation between the two nuclear powers are steadily increasing, as he hinted to the Russian state news agency that Russia might withdraw from the Intermediate and Shorter Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
Since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine began 14 months ago, Moscow has leveled regular accusations against the United States and what it calls the “collective West” for fomenting the dangers of nuclear war, rhetoric meant to deter Kiev’s allies.
“If the United States continues to follow its current course of confrontation with Russia, with ever-increasing risks of a slide into direct armed conflict, then the fate of START (the nuclear weapons treaty) may be a foregone conclusion,” Yermakov said. .
Moscow has warned that Russia is close to a nuclear conflict with the United States because of Washington’s support for Ukraine. Pictured: A Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile being tested last year, in a photo released by Russia.
Since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine began 14 months ago, Moscow has leveled regular accusations against the United States and what it calls the “collective West” for fomenting the dangers of nuclear war, rhetoric meant to deter Kiev’s allies. In the photo: Putin is seen on Monday
The United States told Russia in March that it would stop sharing some data about its nuclear forces after Moscow’s refusal to do so, describing it as a response to Russia’s suspension of its participation in the New START treaty.
The treaty obligated both Russia and the United States to commit to regular communication on the status of their nuclear arsenals, to allow regular on-site inspections and to abide by maximum limits on the number of deployed and non-deployed warheads each would maintain.
With a reported 5,977 warheads, Russia has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world — inherited from the Soviet Union — and even subjected the COVID pandemic to constant inspections and monitoring from the United States, which is a close second.
The suspension of the treaty led to fears of a nuclear arms race among the world’s nuclear-armed superpowers.
Yermakov did not provide details of the alleged US confrontational approach in excerpts from the TASS interview published so far.
“The most acute threat today is related to … the danger of nuclear escalation as a result of direct military confrontation between the nuclear powers,” Yermakov said.
“And these risks, very unfortunately, are steadily increasing.”
He added that Moscow and Beijing would assess the West’s possible participation in the global expansion of the US anti-missile system, which “clearly undermines strategic stability.”
He said that Moscow would assess the range of US-made missiles capable, he said, of reaching the Asia-Pacific region.
“But even now we can say with confidence that the destabilizing military programs of the US and its allies make our moratorium more fragile – both in the Asia-Pacific region and in Europe,” Yermakov said.
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has plunged Moscow’s relationship with the United States and other NATO countries to its lowest point since the Cold War, and raised fears of a direct conflict between Russia and NATO that could spill over into Ukraine’s borders.
The United States has been Ukraine’s biggest supporter, committing more than $70 billion to help Kiev – $43 billion of which went to its military.
A BM-21 multiple rocket launcher was fired towards Russian front-line positions near Pakhmut, Donetsk region, on April 23.
A Ukrainian soldier rides on a BMP infantry fighting vehicle near the town of Pakhmut, Donetsk region, on April 22.
Vladimir Yermakov (pictured), head of the foreign ministry’s nonproliferation department, told the Tass news agency that Washington is raising the stakes with its behavior with the Kremlin — the latest in a series of threats from top Russian officials.
Its military assistance has included the provision of HIMARS missile launchers that have been credited with dramatically changing the course of the war – Ukrainian forces used them in their counterattacks last summer.
Several HIMARS launches have struck behind enemy lines, with one attack on what is believed to be a military barracks killing dozens of Russian soldiers on New Year’s Eve. Ukraine claimed it killed about 400 Russian soldiers in the strike.
The United States has also pledged to deliver advanced M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, and on Friday said it would soon begin training Kiev forces to use them in battle.
US-made Patriot missiles also arrived in Ukraine last week, and military spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said Sunday on Ukrainian television that some of them had already entered service.
Russia accuses the United States of waging a proxy war in Ukraine, while Washington has said it supports a sovereign country in its fight against an aggressor.
On Monday, Russia-appointed authorities in Crimea said the military had repelled a Ukrainian attack on a major naval base, while an explosive drone was found in a forest near Moscow.
The attacks came as Ukraine is believed to be preparing a major counterattack.
The attack is the latest in a series of attempted strikes on Sevastopol, the main naval base in Crimea that Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
The Ukrainian authorities did not immediately comment on Monday’s strikes.
After previous attacks on Sevastopol and other regions, Ukrainian officials have refrained from publicly claiming responsibility, but have asserted the country’s right to strike any target in response to Russian aggression.
The United States has pledged to deliver modern M1 Abrams tanks (pictured, file photo) to Ukraine, and said on Friday that it would soon begin training Kiev forces to use them in battle.
On Monday, Russian news reports also claimed that a Ukrainian drone was found exploding in a forest about 30 miles east of the Russian capital.
While it did not explode, the incident once again confirmed Ukraine’s ability to reach deep into Russia as the Ukrainian military is believed to be preparing a spring counter-offensive to recapture occupied territories.
Observers believe that the most likely target of the counterattack will be the Russian-held parts of the southern Kherson and Zaporizhia regions. If successful, the payment would allow Ukraine to cut off the land corridor between Russia and Crimea.
In what could be preparations for such a move, Ukrainian forces recently established a foothold near the town of Oleshki on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.
