Russia is determined to counter any threats against it with military and technical means, a move that should “cool down” what he described as “hotheads” within NATO, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with state news agency TASS, warning of an increased strategic risk of a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.
“Our ability to influence these discussions within NATO is primarily linked to the warnings we send to Western adversaries on both sides of the Atlantic regarding the risks they create, and Russia’s firm determination to repel, through military and technical means, any new threats directed against us. We do this regularly to cool down the ‘hotheads’ in NATO capitals,” the senior Russian diplomat said.
He added that “we cannot ignore the evident strengthening of the nuclear component of NATO’s overall capabilities”, which is effectively developing as European countries seek to expand their own nuclear capacities alongside the existing US nuclear umbrella.
The Russian diplomat explained that plans by France to develop “advanced nuclear deterrence” cannot remain without a response in Russian military planning.
According to Ryabkov, the strategic risk of a “frontal confrontation between NATO and Russia” has increased, while at the same time there is no political or military foundation for dialogue between Russia and the West on security issues. He added that, for such dialogue to resume, the West would need to take into account Moscow’s fundamental interests.
Source: CNA
