Moscow vows technical, military response to US withdrawal from missile treaty

SANAA, Feb. 4 (YPA) – Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has vowed that Russia will respond by military and technical means to threats from the US withdrawal from the missile treaty and its plans to produce nuclear weapons of limited severity.

According to the Interfax news agency, Lavrov said that Russian and foreign experts agree that Washington’s withdrawal from the treaty will sharply reduce the restrictions on the use of nuclear weapons and increase the risk of a nuclear confrontation.

“We are not seeking to enter into an arms race, as in the Cold War,” Lavrov said in a speech to Russian university students in Bishkek.

He stressed that it is not possible to talk about the outbreak of a new Cold War, because of Washington’s exit from the medium and short-range missile treaty.

He pointed out that Russia is ready for dialogue with the United States on strategic stability, if this dialogue is serious, and if the legitimate interests of each party are taken.

Sameera Hassn