“Start Treaty” expiration puts world on the brink

MOSCOW, Feb. 03 (YPA) – Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that the world will enter a more dangerous phase with the expiration of the New START treaty on strategic offensive nuclear arms between Moscow and Washington, if it is not extended.

“Time is running out quickly, and the world will likely be in a much more dangerous situation in a few days than it is now,” Peskov told reporters.

Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov announced Russia’s readiness for a new reality without nuclear restrictions upon the treaty’s expiration.

“This is a new moment, a new reality for which we are prepared. We calculated and assumed this possibility, and there is nothing new about it. We see no reason to exaggerate what is happening. The fact is that we are losing elements of stability in the previous system, and the manifestations of this voluntary trend, which is approaching chaos, are becoming increasingly apparent,” he added.

In addition, Peskov stressed that dialogue with the United States on strategic stability is “impossible without a fundamental revision of Washington’s hostile course.”

Meanwhile, observers warn that the treaty’s expiration on February 5 without an alternative could ignite a new phase of nuclear tension and an arms race due to the collapse of the only remaining verification and trust mechanism between Moscow and Washington.