Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that the West’s hostile stance towards Russia and its efforts to undermine arms control agreements could lead to a catastrophic war between global nuclear powers.
Addressing the Moscow Nonproliferation Conference, Lavrov blamed Washington for the ongoing crisis in arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation, accusing the U.S. of deliberately destroying balanced arms control agreements and engaging in dishonest schemes that benefit only America.
Lavrov pointed to the recent blocking of the review cycles of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) by the U.S. and its allies, as well as the potential danger posed by the AUKUS agreement and NATO’s increased military spending.
He also criticized the West’s support for Ukraine, highlighting the involvement of the three major Western nuclear powers, the US, UK, and France, in sponsoring the “criminal Kiev regime” and organizing provocations against Russia.
Lavrov emphasized the dangerous consequences of the West’s actions, warning that they could lead to a direct military confrontation between nuclear powers, which would have catastrophic implications. He noted that the US and Russia possess nearly 90% of the world’s nuclear warheads.
Russia suspended its participation in the New START treaty last year due to US involvement in the Ukraine conflict. Washington has since appealed to Moscow to renew dialogue on the treaty, but Russia has refused as long as the US continues to support Ukraine.
Lavrov reiterated this stance, saying that he sees “no basis whatsoever” for an arms control dialogue with the US amidst the ongoing “total hybrid war being waged against our country.”
